USMS National Records – pool individual 7 lifetime
USMS Pool All American Honors – 12 years (32 individual)
USMS Long Distance All American Honors – 5 years (individual)
USMS Top Ten Achievements – 239 individual
Mardie was born in Portland, Oregon, educated in the schools of Portland and received a bachelor's degree from Mills College. She met her husband, Donald Brown, while getting her master's in art at New York University, moving to Palermo Maine in 1949 and raising their three children Tony, Mike, and Dino there.
Mardie taught art at a one-room schoolhouse and swimming lessons to the local children. She was a member of the Palermo Grange as well as the Farm Extension. Later in her life, Mardie worked as a probation and parole officer.
Mardie describes her pre-masters swimming history as “rather short.” It consisted of her swimming 400 meters in a telegraphic net at Mills College to pace another girl. Mardie set too fast a pace and won the race. She first became involved in the Masters program in 1976 participating “in a little meet in Augusta” and found she had the killer instinct, so she joined New England Masters.
She regards as her most memorable Masters race the 1500-meter free at the 1985 Long Course Nationals at Brown University because she swam 1600 meters instead of 1500! The year before she had set a national record for the 1500 in the 60-64 age group, but the record stood for only 10 days.
Mardie was a very athletic person, participating in competitive running and swimming events well into her 80s and receiving world recognition for holding records in swimming in various masters age groups. She was an inspiration to many with her commitment to working out and setting the example that physical fitness can be an activity for life.
Mardie’s son Dino says: “She would have been very proud to receive this honor. Mom was very competitive but not to a fault. Her winning was less important than her knowing she had done her very best meeting the thrill of the challenge.”