Region bids adieu to an educator and leader

By Linda CarmanPrint Story | Email Story
Margaret Hart at her graduation from Columbia Teachers College in New York with a master's degree. (Photo Courtesy of the Hart Family)
WILLIAMSTOWN — Margaret A. Hart of 24 Ide Road, the first African-American to graduate from North Adams State Teachers College, and whose distinguished teaching career extended more than 50 years, died Friday at age 92 at Sweet Brook Care Center. Friends and colleagues recalled her as a dedicated teacher who inspired students and received many honors. "Margaret Hart represents the ideal alumna of this institution,” said Mary K. Grant, president of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. “As the college's first student of color, she broke down barriers for many who followed. As a longtime educator, she dedicated her life to helping improve the lives of others. She has been a true friend of MCLA and a role model and mentor to countless students over the years. We are all better off for having the privilege of knowing her, and we will miss her dearly." Miss Hart’s alma mater, now known as MCLA, established the Margaret Hart Scholarship in 2000 in honor of her outstanding contributions in teaching and community service to the college and to Berkshire County. As a fund-raiser for the scholarship, the college also established the Margaret Hart ’35 Scholarship Gospel Fest. Among her numerous honors and awards is her portrait in a mural of prominent black citizens at Pitt Park in Pittsfield’s West Side. Miss Hart taught in Pittsfield for 26 years. Her teaching career extended from Hampton Institute Training School in Virginia and public schools in Indiana to the former North Junior High School in Pittsfield, now Reid Middle School. After graduating from Teachers College in 1935, Miss Hart received a master’s degree from Columbia Teachers College in New York. She received an honorary doctor of pedagogy from North Adams State College in 1996. Frances Jones-Sneed, chairwoman of MCLA’s history department, who, with a colleague, initiated the Margaret Hart ’35 Scholarship, recalled, “Each year, Margaret came to campus to meet the scholarship recipients and also to attend the gospel festival. She was very open to talking to the students. “I interviewed her at length, and we became friends,” said Jones-Sneed, who also knew Miss Hart from the First United Methodist Church. “She was just a real role model. She was very inspirational for the students.” Whenever Miss Hart talked with the students, Jones-Sneed said, ”She was sharp. It was not just a conversation with an old lady. They were just in awe that this woman had lived so long and accomplished so much. She was gracious and elegant, always the schoolteacher. She had her standards. Here is the model of a life well lived.” She said students asked Miss Hart about her decision to teach at Hampton, and she responded that she had wanted the experience, since she had grown up and gone to school in the Berkshires and had not been to an area with a large African-American population. “Hampton was historically an African-American institution, and she wanted to give back to people who really needed it. That prepared her for her life’s work.” Jones-Sneed said. The MCLA scholarship garnered enough contributions that it was awarded in its very first year and each year subsequently. Preference is given to African-American students from Berkshire County. Fayne Seney, 78, who grew up next door to the Hart family on Hall Street in Williamstown, said, “The entire family is an American success story.” “Margaret,” Seney recalled, “was always a friend of the neighborhood children. She always encouraged us to study, and on occasion she would treat us to a movie.” Miss Hart was lifetime member of the NAACP and of First United Methodist Church of Williamstown. She was born in Williamstown on Dec. 19, 1911, daughter of Henry Hart Sr. and Kate (Alexander) Hart. She attended Williamstown public schools. During World War II, she worked in a Red Cross canteen. She leaves two brothers, Thomas A. Hart Sr. of Washington, D.C., and James Y. Hart Sr. of Williamstown; nine nieces and eight nephews. Three brothers, Henry Hart Jr., William F. Hart Sr. and Allen W.P. Hart, are deceased. The funeral will be Saturday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church. Calling hours are from 2 to 4 p.m. at the church. Entombment will be in Sherman Burbank Memorial Chapel, with burial in Eastlawn Cemetery in the spring. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Margaret A. Hart Scholarship Fund at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, through the George M. Hopkins Funeral Home, 61-67 Spring St., Williamstown MA 01267.
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Friends of Great Barrington Libraries Holiday Book Sale

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Friends of Great Barrington Libraries invite the community to shop their annual Holiday Good-as-New Book Sale, happening now through the end of the year at the Mason Library, 231 Main Street. 
 
With hundreds of curated gently used books to choose from—fiction, nonfiction, children's favorites, gift-quality selections, cookbooks, and more—it's the perfect local stop for holiday gifting.
 
This year's sale is an addition to the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Stroll on this Saturday, Dec. 13, 3–8 PM. Visitors can swing by the Mason Library for early parking, browse the sale until 3:00 PM, then meet Pete the Cat on the front lawn before heading downtown for the Stroll's shopping, music, and festive eats.
 
Can't make the Holiday Stroll? The book sale is open during regular Mason Library hours throughout December.
 
Proceeds support free library programming and events for all ages.
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