The Livingston Family has many Marion Connections. Born in North Dakota, Bruno Rinas settled in Marion after serving in World War II when he married Fran, a kitchen worker at Shick General Army Hospital with Iowa roots. Bruno began his career as a vocational agriculture teacher, before the Linn-Mar School District opened he ran the Future Farmers of America program in Marion. After Linn-Mar opened Bruno went back to Iowa State University to get his master’s degree to teach chemistry, physics and science. He was a well-liked science teacher at Marion High School for 31 years, retiring in 1983. He and Fran had four children including daughter Linda Livingston, recently retired pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church in Marion.
When Bruno died in December 2011 a Rinas memorial fund was established in his name with the Marion Independent School Foundation & Alumni Association to support science initiatives at the high school. The first project paid for through Rinas support was the high school’s first 3-D printer. During the 2019-2020 school year Rinas funds were used to pilot new science curriculum for the State of Iowa. Mitch Hewitt and Garrette Williams volunteered to pilot the new iHub curriculum via the Grant Wood AEA and Rinas funds were used to purchase the lab materials they needed to pilot the curriculum. Grant Wood AEA is working to incorporate the iHub materials in more schools as it is 100% aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, which lead to a cohesive understanding of science for students.
Both Linda and her husband Kurt Livingston, an aerospace/electronics engineer, are Marion High School graduates. Together they have four children who attended the Marion Independent School District including John and Nicholas (who work for the Sony Corporation on the Major League Baseball Video Game “The Show”); Jennifer Livingston (who is a TV news personality in Wisconsin) and Ron who is an actor well-known for tiles including The Office, Band of Brothers, Swingers, Boardwalk Empire and A Million Little Things.
In a phone interview Linda shared that, “We feel like the education received from Marion High School was an education that laid a wonderful foundation for our lives.” Although each member of the Livingston family would name a different teacher or school program that made an impact on their life, everyone was involved in fine arts and theater, and those passions have turned into successful careers.
Ron Livingston attended Marion High School from 1981 to 1985. At Marion High School, Ron performed in every play, musical, and speech competition available. He began as a freshman with one of the lead roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and continued until his final role at Marion High School as the leading player in Pippin. His senior year, he and Guy Washburn re-wrote a short play which Ron directed and the two performed at the Wamac speech contest taking first place. In addition to his involvement in theater, Ron also participated in choir, show choir, wrestling, and many other activities. Ron attended Yale University where he was involved in theater and music, and graduated with a degree in English and theater studies.
Ron was recently involved in “Iowa Concert of Hope,” a special benefit event in support of victims of the 2020 Iowa Derecho. This event is available to view online at www.iowahope.com. Ron was inducted into the MHS Hall of Fame during the Spring Concert at Marion High School on April 27, 2009.