Margaret Louise Wood

Dr. Clarence Hardgrove established this scholarship to honor the life and distinguished career of Dr. Wood who was a professor in the Department of Speech Communication at NIU from 1949 until her retirement in 1976 as Professor Emeritus. Her area of specialization was rhetoric, particularly the fields of British and American Public Address. Before coming to NIU, Professor Wood earned a B.A. from Grinnell College and her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Iowa. She taught at high schools in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin as well as at Stephens College, Wellesley College, Michigan State University and the University of Iowa before coming to NIU. During her career, she served as an officer in several major professional organizations and on the editorial boards of scholarly journals. At Northern, she served as Graduate Director of the department and was active in numerous committees and governing councils of the university. In 1974, Dr. Wood was recognized with a university award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Through her service and leadership, she contributed importantly to the department, college and university.