Thursday, January 16, 2025
Q: What will you never forget about Margaret?
A: If you will allow me a rather technical tribute to my former colleague Peggy. We worked at Michigan State together. I was new to international advising and Peggy was a great mentor. She knew how to use the rules to help international students. Not long after Peggy retired, an international PhD student came in to see me to have her off campus work permission renewed. This type of permission was typically for one year, maximum! When I looked at the student’s documentation, I saw that she had been authorized 12 times for a total of 12 years, and Peggy’s signature was proudly and unabashedly next to each one of those authorizations. Stunned, I looked at the woman and said, “and you are asking me for a 13th year?” She told me she was a middle school teacher and that her students needed her. So I said to myself “what would Peggy do?” and I authorized the student for a 13th year! Peggy is one of a kind as her family and close friends know. Papis and I extend our deepest sympathy and trust that you will remember all of the amazing things that went into making Peggy who she was.
Rosemary Max
