Marsha Johnson Bancroft ’59
Marsha Johnson Bancroft ’59 has flourished as a career woman in multiple capacities, champion athlete, and family
woman.
Bancroft, 85, started her career as a horseback riding instructor for 12 years, first
at a local stable in New Jersey when her twin daughters, Betzy and Cathy, began taking
lessons at age 6. She would eventually teach lessons at a much larger facility, the
Suburban Essex Equestrian Center.
Looking for opportunities for full-time employment and to expand her career options,
Bancroft worked for Burrelles Clipping Service for nearly 10 years, eventually becoming
one of the company’s vice presidents.
“Working for Burrelles was a great experience, and I traveled all over the country,”
says Bancroft, who has three children. “I was working at a time when it was expected
that I would stay at home and raise a family. But I was determined and didn’t give
up. I wanted the experience and freedom to work for a living.”
When she was 61, Bancroft returned to college to become a paralegal. For more than
20 years, she was the intake paralegal at Disability Rights Vermont (DRVT), responsible
for determining eligibility and providing legal assistance, among other duties. DRVT
is part of the National Protection and Advocacy system created by the U.S. Congress
to better protect people with disabilities against civil rights violations. Bancroft,
who retired at age 81, is still on the DRVT Board of Directors.
Bancroft also pursued her athletic interests in addition to horseback riding, competing
in marathons and shorter races after joining a running club while she was at Burrelles.
She would eventually participate in numerous triathlons, including a Half Ironman
Triathlon. In 1993, she became a national triathlon champion in her age group in the
USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance Championships. She took second place in the USA Triathlon
Sprint-Distance Competition in 2013 and 2014.
Bancroft, a biology major at Skidmore, was born in Florida and grew up in Glen Ridge,
N.J., where she was part of an equestrian team in high school. She now lives with
daughter Betzy in Orange, Vt. Their home borders the Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary,
where she can be found hiking almost any day of the week.
