It was said by her husband that Margaret Sampson Edgell “went home to her First Love” on October 17, 2012, at the age of 55. She died of cancer.
Margaret was a former adjunct professor in the SPU School of Business, Government, and Economics and a former professor of business at Calvin College. She brought with her broad experience, having previously worked for the U.S. Treasury as an international economist/trade specialist. developing and negotiating government industrial policy in finance. She was the founder and president of International Economics Inc., consulting in export-import business, high-tech management, accreditation and practice of business education, writing and editing. An accomplished writer, Margaret enjoyed writing fantasy fiction and was a founding board member of the Northwest Christian Writers Association.
Well qualified to stake a claim in both commerce and the classroom, she earned an undergraduate degree in international relations from Stanford University, a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University, and a doctorate from the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong education (HALE) program at Michigan State University. Her research with business students showed that Christian students mature in their chosen disciplines differently than other students. Her findings are in a book she co-authored with Johan Hegeman and Henk Jochemsen, Practice and Profile: Christian Formation for Vocation.
Friends and colleagues remember Margaret as a woman of prayer, a unifier, a calming presence, a professor devoted to students, and a person others aspired to be. She liked salsa lessons and cross country ski trips arranged through the church. At both Seattle Pacific University and Calvin College she established a Margaret Edgell Faith at Work Prize Endowment to encourage the integration of faith and work in promising business students. Margaret is survived by her husband, John.
Posted: Monday, January 1, 0001