Mrs. Margaret Murray Blizard of 443 Winter Street, Norwood, today announced her candidacy for the office of State Senator, Second Norfolk District. Mrs. Blizard, who has had eleven years of government experience, responded to the call of Democratic party leaders in the district who were seeking a qualified woman to represent the party in the race against the Republican incumbent, also a woman.
Mrs. Blizard in a statement to th. press said, “While I have never before aspired to public office, I have always been interested in good government, and have felt the concern of all serious and intelligent citizens about the many .issues brought before our General Court I feel it is important that our Senate include in Its membership a woman who Is not only trained and experienced, but one who is also a housewife, a mother of young children end a homeowner and taxpayer,—who Is in brief, truly representative of the average voter In, the’ district, and who can, therefore, best serve them. I would enjoy the experience of participating in this governing body, and therefore, I accept the challenge offered me by the Democratic clubs in the area to be their candidate In the coming election.”
Mrs. Blizard has recently resigned from her position as Chief Coordinator of Health Education for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in order to participate in the coming Senatorial race. This position is a top-level administrative job to which Mrs. Blizard was appointed In January, 1950 after topping a list of eligible candidates in an open competitive Civil Service examination.
In her work for the Department of Public Health, Mrs. Blizard has engaged in numerous top-level planning and policy conferences both within the Department and with public Health leaders from Harvard, Yale, and other Universities, and with leading health organizations throughout the country.
In addition, she has been called upon to develop and direct courses and workshops for teachers, nurses, health educators, dental hygienists and other health specialists. Mrs. Blizard has lectured at Harvard School of Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, Boston University School of Education and School of Social Work, and at numerous schools of nursing throughout the Commonwealth. Since 1947 Mrs. BUzard has been a Special Lecturer for the Massachusetts Society for Social Hygiene. In this capacity she served as a consultant to a pioneer workshop in Sex Guidance for Family Life Education held at Boston University. She has also lectured to numerous Parent-Teachers Associations, older boys and girls’ groups, and Professional staff throughout the state.
Margaret Murray Blizard received the degree, Bachelor of Science In Education from the Teachers College of the City of Boston in June, 1940. In 1941, she received the degree, Master in Education from the same school where she majored in Biology, and minored in Chemistry and Physiology, for high school teaching. Mrs. Blizard was appointed to the Boston Public Schools immediately, since she topped the eliglble list for an appointment on her first try. She taught at Brandeis Vocational High and at South Boston High School.
Mrs. Blizard left teaching when she was offered a full fellowship to Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study Public Health. After completing the program at M.I.T., .Mrs. Blizard was awarded the degree Master of Public Health, and was appointed as a Health Education Coordinator for the Boston Health Department. In this position, she assisted in the development of a new course of study in health for the Parochial Schools of the Archdiocese of Boston, and in the Introduction of the course in the schools throughout the city. Here too, she pioneered in the use of radio in health education, writing scripts and training children to participate in health and safety shows.
Mrs. Blizard did some of the earliest work in community organization for health education in Boston’s South End where she worked with the Negro and Chinese people as well as the difficult-to-reach transient rooming house population. Health campaigns of special emphasis for which Mrs. Blizard was commended during the war years included those or. street sanitation and rat control, tuberculosis and venereal disease control.
In 1945, Mrs. Blizard, then Margaret Murray, left the Boston Health Department to accept the position of Acting Executive Director of the Cambridge Tuberculosis and Health Association, which position she held until her marriage in August 1946.
In 1954, Mrs. Blizard received another fellowship and was admitted to the Harvard School of Public Health for advanced study leading to a doctorate.
Mrs. Blizard Is active In many local, state, and national clubs and organizations. She is a member of the Norwood Committee of the Norfolk County Tuberculosis and Health Association and a member of the Health Education Advisory Committee of this same group. She is currently Chairman of the RehabiUtatlon Advisory Committee of the. Mass. Tuberculosis and Health League; and Immediate past Chairman of the Radio and Television Committee of the Mass. Central Health Council. She is a member of the Norwood Area Mental Health Association which is currently working toward securing a child guidance clinic for this area.
She is a member of the National Wildlife Federation and the M.I.T. Women’s Association.
Professional Societies to which she belongs include the Mass. Public Health Association, the Adults Education Association of Mass., and the New England Health Education Association.
She Is a Fellow of the American Public Health Association, a Fellow of the Society of PubUc Health Educators, and a member of the Adult Education Association of the United States. ,
Mrs. BUzard resides at 443 Winter Street, Norwood, with her husband, Frederick, and her two daughters, Janet and Carol.
(All articles originally appeared in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)