MARY NEVILLE BIELEFELD AWARD
Margaret Mathews Sankovitz, Jour ’55
Shorewood, Wis.
When Margaret Sankovitz decided to pursue journalism, she knew she would need the best education she could get, which is how she ended up at Marquette. Besides her impressive resume, her experience at Marquette served as a launchpad for Margaret’s lifelong commitment to service for others, and even united her with the love of her life in Copus Hall.
Margaret constantly acts as a caregiver for others. Marquette granted her the moral and spiritual roadmap to success. Throughout her life, she’s turned those Jesuit values into action as a woman for others. She paid it forward, serving as a volunteer for her university, high school, grade school and larger community. Between all of those volunteer hours, she still made time for several committees at St. Robert’s Parish in Shorewood— school development and prayer and worship — and coordinated the parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Meal Program. Today, she serves closer to home at her parish where she is a historian/archivist.
Margaret attributes her success to her education. She’s a grammar whiz and an excellent storyteller, but the biggest life lesson she learned during her days in Copus Hall was how to be a leader and the importance of giving back, and that’s exactly what she strives to do every day. Margaret certainly put in a lot of work at Marquette, graduating in 1955, receiving a certificate in elementary education in 1972 and working in the advancement office for 36 years. Margaret is still married to Jim, whom she met in Copus Hall. Together they have five children (all Marquette graduates), 18 grandchildren (five of whom graduated from Marquette) and one great-grandchild.
Fun facts:
Margaret is the editor of the quarterly newsletter for the Shorewood Historical Society.
Leave a congratulatory message for Margaret!