Dr. Marilyn Zweng was born in Michigan on March 7, 1932. She grew up in Port Huron, Michigan, and worked with her parents at the gas station they owned. She did her undergraduate work at Michigan State University and earned her PhD from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Zweng was a professor of Mathematics Education and Chair of the Secondary Education Department at the College of Education at the University of Iowa. She joined the faculty in 1965. She was the first female department chair at the University of Iowa College of Education. She enjoyed hosting parties for visiting guests and graduate students. She would invite 20-30 people to each party and use place settings of china she collected from places she gave talks or from conferences she presented at in North America, Europe and Asia. Her cat was very friendly and enjoyed meeting all the visitors. She retired in 1992. Dr. Zweng died on August 13, 2019. Henry Kepner was Dr. Zweng’s first graduate student at the University of Iowa and Denny St. John was her final graduate student.