Margaret Maginn embraces getting older

Newswoman's philosophy

Margaret Maginn ends each of her newscasts in the same unusual way.

"Put your right hand on your left shoulder. Put your left hand on your right shoulder, and squeeze once, squeeze twice, squeeze three times," she tells her audience. "God loves those who love themselves."

You won't find Mrs. Maginn on NBC or FOX. Her twice-weekly news program is broadcast on closed-circuit television at Teresian House Center for the Elderly in Albany.

Staying connected

The station, known to residents as Channel 2, has "great advantages," Mrs. Maginn told The Evangelist. For example, the station allows residents who can't get around to know what's happening at the home, which is run by the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm.

It takes the former art teacher two hours to prepare for her broadcast. She combs the local papers, especially the editorial page, for articles that might be of interest to other Teresian House residents and then makes her own notes. Her newscasts include everything from the change of seasons to the stock market's effect on school pensions.

The skills she needed as a teacher are what help her organize her news broadcast. "I had to be organized as an art teacher," she said. "I learned to prepare what I was going to say before I said it. I feel grateful to be able to do this. When you're a teacher, you get interested in things. This is a way to give something back."

Overcoming problems

While 89-year-old Mrs. Maginn must use a magnifying glass to read the newspaper and relies on a walker for mobility, she remains optimistic and cheerful about life.

"I made up my mind to use my walker because people would see me using it and living a normal life, and they would feel more comfortable using one," she said. "You have to use your handicaps to help you live a life. It's good to admit your handicaps. Be glad you're here."

Mrs. Maginn, a resident of Teresian House for two years, said living there and interacting with the nuns is like coming full circle: She lived for nine years at the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany. In fact, she is looking forward to her 70th high school reunion next month.

Losses and gains

The circumstances that brought her to Holy Names were not so happy. Her mother died when she was an infant, and her father passed away nine years later. Her aunt placed her at Holy Names as a boarder. Despite those unhappy circumstances, Mrs. Maginn has fond memories of the school and remains "very grateful to Holy Names."

After graduation from high school, she attended Russell Sage College in Troy where she trained to be an art teacher.

"I was fortunate to have a wonderful education," she said. "I realized the difference an education can make. You learn how to express yourself and make judgments."

Making the most

She learned other lessons as well. "I wasn't too good of a student," she confessed, "but I learned it was up to me."

She still applies that lesson to her daily life. She explained that her encouraging words at the end of her broadcast help her maintain a positive outlook on life, something she tries to pass on to other residents. "You can get discouraged, and that can make you worse," she said.

Mrs. Maginn, whose room is decorated with photos of her family, drawings from her grandchildren and her own paintings, is quick to point out that she has had many good things happen to her. "I have had a wonderful life," she said.

Life lessons

Mrs. Maginn taught for 20 years in Cohoes, East Greenbush, Albany and North Colonie. After retiring, she volunteered as a teacher at Holy Cross School in Albany. She had seven children, four step-children, and several grandchildren and step grandchildren.

Mrs. Maginn has known hardships. Two of her children died at birth; two others died later in life in separate accidents. Her first husband, James Carroll, died seven months before their youngest child was born. Her second husband, John Maginn (brother of Bishop Edward Maginn), also predeceased her.

Despite those disappointments, she said, "God has been good to me." [[In-content Ad]]