Margaret "Peg" Chew

Margaret Chew was born on the campus of Northwestern University where her father was a seminary student. She lived in Korea with her family from age 3 months to 7 years as her father was a missionary until they returned to Evanston.

She earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Northwestern University. In Margaret Chew joined the geography department in 1945, first as a part-time teacher, but later became full-time when soldiers returned from WWII. She continued to teach geography and earth science at La Crosse from 1945 until her retirement in 1979. She served as chair of the Geography Department from 1952 to 1965.

In 1960 she received a Ph.D. from Clark University in Worcester, MA, and received an educational loan from PEO Chapter AL in La Crosse and also a Fellowship on two separate occasions during the ensuing years of study. Her Ph.D. dissertation was “Urban Service Areas” showing how to map the influence of a middle size city in its surrounding area using La Crosse as an example. The Greater La Crosse Chamber of Commerce published the maps and a major part of the dissertation in 1961 and included this publication in its bid for La Crosse to be selected an All-American City. The city won the honor in 1966 and then-Mayor Loveland gave Dr. Chew a key to the city of La Crosse, which was presented to the officials in Anchorage, Alaska, which also won that year.

Dr. Chew ran the first field trip experiences at UW-L for the Wisconsin geography classes with an airplane field trip over the Coulee Region. Three students at a time were taken after approval from their parents and class preparation. Later Grandad’s Bluff, the U.S. Conservation Farm and Devils Lake were added to the field offerings that the faculty in geography provided for students. In 1946, Dr. Chew began offering tours around the world for teachers taking summer school courses. They had to be three weeks in length with required readings and papers. Her tours covered five continents and most of the countries in the world. She traveled on her own to the other two continents and the South Pacific. Many others, e.g. doctors, farmers, and engineers also joined her. She became La Crosse’s ambassador to the world.

Her last travels were in 1989, at the age of 80, when she visited Easter Island, Pitcairn, French Polynesia, the Solomon Islands, and Fuji. Because she was an excellent photographer, the pictures and slides she took and her delightful educational way of presenting programs, found her a popular and often sought-after speaker. Her special services to the college and university included many important committees including the responsibility of the selection of students for scholarship, faculty senate, and president of the La Crosse State College Foundation (1954-1979). Building committee memberships included the Florence Wing Library, Cowley Hall, and Cowley Annex. In addition, she advised numerous student groups such as Delta Zeta and the Wesley Foundation. Her records and photos are included in the anniversary of Wesley United Methodist Church this year.

Dr. Chew passed away at the age of 93 on July 13, 2003, in La Crosse.