MAGGIE LEE!

THE EXHIBIT

Margaret (Maggie) Ferne Lee was born on January 5, 1921, in Northfield, Minnesota, the only child of Ferne and Edward Lee. Her father was a carpenter for Carleton College, and her mother was a model. Maggie was born at the hospital located then on 8th and Water Street. The day she was born, the furnace went out and the babies had to be warmed in the oven in the kitchen. Maggie went to the Washington School from grades 1 through 6. She then went to Northfield High School, located on Union Street, from grades 7 through 12.

In her junior year of high school, Maggie joined the school newspaper called The Periscope. She started as a news writer. At the end of her junior year, she was elected as the next news editor. For most of her senior year, she was sick and absent from school. She graduated in 1939 as valedictorian. She gave a speech at graduation called “There is Hope”.

After high school, Maggie stayed in town for a year due to her illness. She then attended Minneapolis Business College, graduating in 1942. Maggie’s first job was in the accounting department of John W. Thomas Company in downtown Minneapolis. She told her mother the only way she would move back to Northfield was if she could work at the Northfield News. Her mother promptly set up an interview for her, and Maggie was hired as a bookkeeper for the News in 1944.

Maggie Lee had a tireless passion for Northfield’s history and worked to preserve its history not only as a reporter but as one of the founders of the Northfield Historical Society. She wrote over 1,000 stories about past Northfielders and their contributions to the town for her “Do You Remember” column.

Maggie loved the color purple, and it became her signature color. Beginning when she was 65, she wore it every day. She also loved cats. At one point in Maggie’s life, she owned at least 3,000 cat figurines, as well as actual cats Putter, Jigs, and Princess. Later in life, Maggie became a town character, known for her iconic appearance, constant presence on Division Street, and unyielding allegiance to Northfield and its people.

Maggie passed away on July 9, 2013 at the age of 92, but her legacy lives on. Maggie’s endearing contributions to our community include the City’s Riverwalk, which she played a pivotal role in establishing, the Northfield Historical Society, and a treasure trove of Northfield News articles spanning six decades. She was the recipient of the 2009 Joseph Lee Heywood Award as well as numerous state- and national-level awards for her writing. She was a pioneer at a time that saw few women journalists. To quote former Northfield News Editor in the introduction to her book Northfield Ink: “She [was] the community’s historian, its promoter, its confidante, its ombudsman, its conscience.”

Despite being hired as a bookkeeper, due to the low staff numbers, Maggie began writing almost right away. She would eventually become a full-time writer, regularly working 80 to 90 hours a week, while also being a part of many different organizations. In February of 1967, Maggie was promoted to Editor of the Northfield News. She led the News for 19 years before “semi-retiring” in 1986. Maggie continued to write for the paper until 2012. Altogether, she worked for the news for 68 years and covered everything from local government to local history to business to “women’s issues”. Some of her columns were “Do You Remember”, “For Women Only”, and “Long Division”.