Margaret Blizard, a retired educator in the State College Area School District, passed away in late April 2021 at the age of 77. Her life was filled with stories — she was born in post-war Wales and moved to the United States so her husband, David could pursue a postdoc in Bar Harbor, Maine. Soon afterward, the couple moved to New York City where Margaret promptly knocked on the door of the Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Street) and landed a job organizing their nationwide Model Viewing Centers, supporting early childhood education. Upon completing her master’s degree in Special Education, Margaret began a lifelong interest in autism. Fast-forward a few more years and she qualified in school psychology at Wake Forest Academy, using her well-developed sense of self to project confidence, professionalism, and above all, a sense of caring and child-advocacy in often fraught parent-teacher conferences. This would become a hallmark of her life.
Toward the end of the ‘80s, life brought the Blizards and their two sons to State College, and to her job in the Special Education department in the State College Area School District, starting a rewarding 20-year career in that organization. She founded a class for students with autism and worked as a school psychologist, mainly in kindergarten and elementary grades, for the rest of her career. It was a setting where she flourished and touched individuals in life-changing ways.
Please CLICK HERE to read more about her life.
But don’t just take our word for it. Here are six tributes from those who worked with her, loved her, and say that “we are all better for knowing her.” Godspeed, Margaret. Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Submitted by Linda Duffy and B Blizard
