Margaret Anderson was the fourth child of George and Catherine Poplin, born near Cleora in Indian Territory on Oct. 9, 1897. Her mother was a Cherokee Indian and her name and six of her children’s names are listed on the Dawes Commission Cherokee Indian Roll. Margaret graduated from Miami High School in 1915 as the salutatorian of her class. 

Margaret passed the Ottawa County teacher’s examination in 1915 and was hired to teach the first grade class in the North Miami Elementary School. She had 52 first graders in her class, and she received $50 per month. The next school year, 1916-1917, she taught in Miami Public Schools at $90 per month. Her Miami teacher’s contract limited her activities outside of school to no dates, no dances, no social activities unless they pertained to church or school. 

Margaret continued her education by attending summer school in teacher colleges at Tahlequah, Oklahoma; Greeley, Colorado; Pittsburg, Kansas; and Tulsa University. Athletic by nature, she took part in all sports offered in high school and college, including basketball, baseball and military training. In December 1920, Margaret married Ralph Anderson of Miami and they moved to Broken Arrow where she taught first grade for three years. They moved to Tulsa in 1927 where Margaret taught first grade at Park School in Red Fork for 13 years. During the time she taught in Tulsa, she served on the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Education Association, the Tulsa Education Association, and the Classroom Teachers’ Association. While working for Tulsa Public Schools Margaret also helped write the elementary safety curriculum and became a member of the National Education Safety Commission. She would go on to be President of the Childhood Education Safety Association. In 1950, the Cuban government invited representatives from each state to help them celebrate 50 years of successful public schools, and the Oklahoma Director of Education appointed Margaret to represent Oklahoma on that trip. 

Margaret was active in several professional teacher sororities - Kappa Kappa Iota, Delta Iota, and Alpha Kappa Gamma to name a few - and upon her retirement in 1963, she became a member of the Tulsa Retired Teachers Association. She taught for 43 years in Oklahoma, and spent 34 years teaching in the Tulsa Public School system. Margaret died Nov. 5, 1995 and is buried in the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery in Miami. 

Upon her death, Margaret left a sizable contribution that established Northeast Tech’s charitable foundation.  The mission of the Northeast Tech Foundation is simply to help Northeast Tech students. A lifelong proponent of education, Margaret Anderson positively impacted Oklahoma students throughout her lifetime, and her legacy of learning continues today through the Northeast Tech Foundation. 

How to Apply

To apply for the Northeast Tech Foundation Scholarship complete this application and return it to the Student Advisor at your campus.