Maggie Nightingale devoted her time to volunteer and make an impact on people’s lives.
Motivated with persistence and passion, Maggie Nightingale filled her days by improving the lives of those around her. She and her husband, Tom, are K-State alumni.
“Our time at K-State enabled Maggie and I to go on to a great life,” Tom said.
After graduating from K-State, Tom and Maggie eventually moved to Poolesville, Maryland. They established a new life while being involved with the community. Maggie invested most of her time toward volunteer work.
“While working in retail sales full time, she was able to head up our church’s school of religion utilizing thirty volunteers, serve as secretary for our local Chamber of Commerce for over 25 years, serve two terms on the Montgomery County Library Board and serve as the chair of the local library advisory committee for her entire life in Poolesville,” Tom said. “The most admirable thing about Maggie was her ability to multitask.”
In addition to Maggie’s strong community involvement, she also had a major passion for books. Tom said Maggie always had a book nearby and referred to books as her friends. Maggie’s passion eventually led to a major endeavor for Poolesville.
Before Tom and Maggie lived in Poolesville, the town did not have an established public library. The only source available to the community included the local high school’s library, which consisted of limited hours and resources.
Acknowledging this issue, Maggie pursued major efforts to create a public library in Poolesville. After years of attending council meetings and insisting people of Poolesville deserved a public library, her hard work finally came to fruition in 1991.
“Her many roles enabled her to feel that something was getting done and not just wondering if a task would be done,” Tom said.
When the Poolesville Library officially opened, Maggie continued to work as an advocate for the library and focused on maintaining its resources.
“After the library was a reality for 25 years, she continued to attend meetings at the county and state level to defend ‘her’ library and those in the rest of Montgomery County,” Tom said.
As a result of her accomplishments and devotion to the community, Maggie was awarded Volunteer of the Year in 2009 by the Montgomery County Library Advisory Board. Later, she was named Grand Marshal of Poolesville in 2013.
“Life with Maggie was always interesting,” Tom said. “If Maggie had never been to Poolesville, I doubt there would be a library, since it took her quite a while to accomplish that.”
Maggie passed away November 11, 2016. Tom said Maggie owned more than 1,500 cook-books when she passed.
In May 2017, the town renamed the public library after Maggie to honor her memory. Her legacy will continue to impact many people of Poolesville.
“The trait that typified Maggie was her ability to keep life in perspective, always having a can-do attitude and making each person feel that they were the most important person in her life,” Tom said.
