Image Courtesy of the Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives at Connecticut College
On Saturday Oct. 4, former Dean of Student Affairs at Connecticut College, Margaret Watson ‘61, sadly passed away at the age of 86.
Originally from Portland, Maine, Watson graduated from Connecticut College in 1961, where she studied religion. She returned to the College in 1968 as Assistant Dean of Student Activities, where she would then go on to serve a variety of roles, including advising Student Government, chairing the board of Housefellows and the Security Council, and serving for almost all of her nineteen years as as Dean of Student Affairs.
Known simply as ‘Marg’ to students, Watson was a guide and friend to all throughout her time at the College. When dedicating the Koiné, the College’s former yearbook, to her in 1976 (for the first of two dedications, once more upon her retirement in 1987), the editors described her as “a person who empathizes with student’s needs… mediator, diplomat, and confidante– she is easily recognized as one of the mainstays of this college community.”
Before her years as Dean of Students at Conn, Dean Watson taught elementary school, and later moved on from Conn to serve as Dean at Westbrook College until her retirement. Today, her memory is honored yearly through the SGA Margaret Watson Award, presented yearly for outstanding leadership to a General Assembly member.
In a campus-wide email on October 20, President Andrea Chapdelaine said, “she built a sense of community grounded in care and respect– values that continue to shape the College today.”
