Margaret Stoddard, of Oxford, was many things throughout her long and productive life.
Educator, historian, writer, storyteller, a woman who deeply loved family ? these were all Margaret Stoddard.
But perhaps the most unique thing about Stoddard was her innate ability to see what others could not see inside themselves.
‘She always thought everyone that she ever taught or met had something exceptional about them,? said daughter Lois Stoddard. ‘No one was commonplace to her. Everyone had some special given talent.?
Sadly, Stoddard, who resided in the same house on Pontiac Street since 1913, passed away last week at the age of 97.
A family has lost its matriarch while Oxford has lost a vital link to its past.
‘She loved Oxford,? Lois said. ‘Her whole family has been in Michigan since the early 1800s.?
Stoddard was born a Hagerman, a name quite familiar to those who travel on or live on the gravel road bearing that name in Addison Township.
Back in the day, her great grandfather, William Hagerman, who settled in Addison in 1833, was the largest landowner in Oakland County, owning about 1,300 acres.
It was Stoddard’s father, Alfred Burdett Hagerman, who spawned her interest in all things local with his storytelling.
‘He instilled in her this love of family, history, Michigan and Oxford, in particular,? Lois said.
Stoddard would go on to help found the Northeast Oakland Historical Society in 1972 and make sure local history was preserved on paper.
‘She wrote the history of the Oxford Bank for their centennial (in 1984),? Lois noted.
It seemed only natural that an intelligent woman who loved history and family should become a teacher.
Stoddard received her teaching certificate from Michigan State Normal College (now known as Eastern Michigan University).
She went on to teach at the Arnold School in Addison, Leonard School (back when it held elementary through high school students), junior high school in Lake Orion and the Roeper School in Bloomfield
Hills. She also taught in Rochester for two years.
A generous soul who cared for others, Stoddard was always one to discreetly slip lunch money to less fortunate students or give away her daughter’s hand-me-down clothes to girls who needed them.
In the early 1950s, Stoddard went back to school herself. She attended the University of Michigan at the same time as her late son Burdett and obtained her bachelor’s degree in education.
Stoddard later served as principal at the Leonard School for a year in the mid-1950s.
If education was her calling, then writing was Stoddard’s passion.
‘I think it was just something she had to do,? Lois said. ‘It was just something she was born with.?
Her writing career began at an early age and continued to be a huge part of her life.
‘I’ve found things she wrote when she was 12-years-old,? Lois noted.
Over the years, Stoddard penned numerous children’s stories, historical articles, essays and even an opera.
‘I think her writing is wonderful,? Lois said.
In 1952, Mrs. Stoddard won the University of Michigan’s prestigious Avery Hopwood Award for her essay ‘Triune? about her father. She was honored in April 2006 for being the oldest living winner of the award.
Her novel, ‘The Leopard’s Changing Spots: Rorey’s Men? was published in 2003. The book is a tale of interracial love with a message of tolerance.
‘She didn’t have a lot published,? Lois said. ‘She was good at writing, not at selling her stuff. She never really pushed to have things published. I think if she had, she would have gotten much more published.?