Meet Marian Jean: A Life of Science, Sea, and Support for SBMM

For Marian Jean, supporting the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is a natural extension of a lifelong love of science, the sea, and Santa Barbara’s unique coastal history.

Marian has been connected to the Santa Barbara waterfront for decades. She began volunteering as a naturalist on local whale watch boats in 1996 through the Whale Corps at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, a program that later transferred to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Through that work, she deepened her knowledge of whales, whaling, conservation, and the broader marine environment. When she learned that a maritime museum had opened right in the harbor, she became a member almost from the beginning.

What drew Marian to SBMM then still speaks to her today: the museum’s commitment to education, history, conservation, and the full marine picture of the Santa Barbara Channel. With a background in healthcare through laboratory medicine and medical microbiology, Marian has always been guided by scientific curiosity. SBMM, she says, is a wonderful fit for her lifelong zest for learning.

Over the years, Marian has especially valued SBMM’s lectures, which she describes as both fantastic and informative, as well as the museum’s exhibits and the chance to continue learning about the place she calls home. Among her favorite rotating exhibitions was Ralph Clevenger’s polar bear exhibit, which held special meaning because Marian had taken a trip to Churchill in 2016 and appreciated reliving that extraordinary experience through Ralph’s photographs. She also remembers Chuck Graham’s island fox exhibit fondly, along with permanent exhibits that explore whales, Chumash history, oil in the Santa Barbara Channel, and the region’s deep relationship with the sea.

In January 2020, Marian became a volunteer on the museum’s fourth floor, just before the COVID lockdown. During that unusual time, when some of her other volunteer activities were paused or scaled back, SBMM remained a meaningful and steady presence in her life. Volunteering at the museum gave her not only a sense of purpose, but also a welcoming community of staff and fellow volunteers who share her appreciation for Santa Barbara’s maritime world.

When asked why she chose to include SBMM in her estate plans, Marian’s answer is simple and heartfelt: she likes to support entities with which she has had a positive connection. “I love the SBMM,” she says. She sees planned giving as a way to support organizations that have brought meaning to her life and to help ensure they continue to thrive.

Looking ahead, Marian hopes her gift will help the museum continue on its strong path while also expanding opportunities where possible. She is especially interested in seeing deeper connections between SBMM and the Santa Ynez Band Chumash Museum and Cultural Center, reflecting the importance of Chumash history, culture, and stewardship in understanding the Santa Barbara Channel.

For Marian, SBMM is worth supporting because it helps inform the public of our close association with the Channel, how deeply connected we are to the ocean, and why that matters. From Chumash history and marine life to oil history and maritime heritage, the museum offers visitors a fuller understanding of this place and our relationship to the sea.

Her advice to others considering a legacy gift is straightforward: get involved with the museum, spend time here, and experience all that it offers. She believes that once people truly see how special SBMM is, the desire to support it will follow naturally.

Marian’s story is a reminder that legacy giving begins with connection — connection to place, to learning, and to the institutions that help preserve both for future generations.

If you have included the Museum in your estate plan, we hope you will let us know so we may thank you personally and officially welcome you. Sharing this information helps clarify your gift intention, may help avoid future complications regarding asset distribution, and supports the Museum’s long-range planning on behalf of our community. If you would like to learn more about legacy giving, please contact SBMM Director of Development Emily Duncan at eduncan@sbmm.org or (805) 456-8744.