Marie John Mamalakis was born in Shreveport on September 15, 1913, the second of three children of John Emanuel and Demetria Passadakia Mamalakis. Her parents, both Greek, had come to the United States a few years earlier. Shortly after her birth the family moved to Opelousas, where Ms. Mamalakis, known as “Mario”, attended public and private schools. In 1926, the family moved to New York, where they lived for three years.

On the family’s return to Lafayette, Ms. Mamalakis attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute (today the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), graduating with a degree in English in 1933. From 1934 to 1940, she taught public school in St. Landry Parish. In 1941, she entered Louisiana State University for graduate work, and upon earning her Master’s degree in library science, she returned to Lafayette as head of the circulation department at Edith Garland Dupré Library at SLI. She also taught courses in library science. Having reached the rank of full professor, in 1965 she was named public relations director of UL Lafayette.

Ms. Mamalakis was also a freelance journalist and photographer. She wrote hundreds of articles about Louisiana, its people, and its unique cultural heritage. Most were published in the Daily Advertiser, the Times-Picayune, Dixie Roto, SLEMCO Magazine, the Beaumont Enterprise, and the Beaumont Journal, for which she served as correspondent for many years.

Ms Mamalakis received numerous honors for her achievements. She was cited in several biographical dictionaries, including Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, Who’s Who Among American Women, Foremost Women in Communications, and Two Thousand Women of Achievement, among others. She won a number of press awards, including a national first place in feature story writing. In 1984 she received the Outstanding UL Lafayette Alumni Award. On another occasion, she was honored at a UL Lafayette Foundation Distinguished Professor Banquet. In 2000, at the invitation of UL Lafayette, she became a charter member of the Louisiana Heritage Society. She also received an annual Lafayette Civic Cup Award for her service to the community. She said, “For me, it’s been a labor of love, love for a city that I think has yet to reach its full potential”. She also received an award as an “Honorary Cajun”.

Ms. Mamalakis died on October 18, 2003, and was buried at the Myrtle Grove Cemetery in Opelousas. She was 90 years of age.