| Honored by: | The Moothart Family |
| Brick location: | B:12 map |
Margaret Mary Moothart does not talk of limitations, not in her own life nor in the lives of others. She holds strongly to the principles of excellence and quality, and through her strength and tenacity achieves them in her own life and through her support helps others to do the same.
Although she has many areas of unparalleled achievement, her one true passion has been serving as advocate or and provider of safe, affordable and accessible health care.
Margaret first discovered her strength of character and voice of dissent in 1968 when she organized a mass nurses walkout to protest a lack of contract she felt potentially endangered hospital patients. Before the strike ended, all levels of hospital staff were involved and Ames was receiving national media attention. Because the nurses were unsuccessful in their fight for a labor contract, Margaret, the movement's outspoken leader, and 52 other nurses resigned.
Unemployed but undaunted, she spent the next several months searching for not only a way to help support her family but a means through which to continue her policy work. Both came in the form of Public Health Care, a service designed to provide in-home care to the elderly and on-site care for the poor. During her 12 years in Public Health, Margaret traveled Story County, regularly visiting more than 75 patients. It was during this time as well that she conceived of and established the well-baby clinics in Story County that today still provide health care services to women and their children.
Today Margaret works as a genetics counselor through a joint venture between the University of Iowa and the Iowa State Department of Health. With clinic sites around the state, she provides support and information to couples considering having children.
On this Mother's Day, 1994, the family of Margaret Mary Moothart pay tribute to our wife's, mother's, mother-in-law's, and grandmother's enduring spirit. We consider ourselves fortunate to have such a strong and uncompromising woman as role model, mentor, and friend.
Margaret Mary Moothart, born Margaret Mary Couture on December 1, 1934, lives with her husband on a small horse farm in central Iowa.
With love,
Lyman, Sheri, Glen, Constance, Darren, Gerald, Cynthia, Nathan, and Grant.
Submitted on 4/1994