Margaret RICHARDS

1923 - 2019

RICHARDS Margaret Stenstrom Born June 2, 1923 in Buffalo, New York to Dr. Annette Treble Stenstrom, Physician Radiologist and Dr. Karl Wilhelm Stenstrom, Ph.D., distinguished radiation physicist. "Peggy" as she was affectionately known by her family and friends expired at age 95 with peace and dignity in the early morning Saturday, May 4, 2019 in St. Paul in the company of her loving children. In 1926 at age 3 Peggy moved to Minneapolis with her parents, her father being invited to standardize X-ray equipment and radium to be used for radiation treatment of cancer patients at the newly established Cancer Institute at the University of Minnesota. "Stenny" as he was known to friends, medical colleagues and students, was Professor of Biophysics, Director of the Division of Radiation Therapy at the University of Minnesota for 30 years. He treated more than 30,000 cancer patients, authored more than 100 scientific articles detailing new discoveries, was Knighted by the King of Sweden and won the American Cancer Society Award. In Stenny's doctoral research at the University of Lund in Sweden he defined a fundamental principle of radiation physics that X-rays may be diffracted by electromagnetic energy thereby contributing to the foundation for modern radiation therapy. His work contributed to the basis for the 1924 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to his mentor Dr. Karl Manne Georg Siegbahn and led to Fellowship at Harvard University. Peggy attended Summit School in St. Paul, Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, and architecture school at the University of Minnesota. During architecture training she pursued internship in New York City, then returned to the Twin Cities. In St. Paul she married Dr. Albert MacDonell Richards, son of Dr. Ernest Thomson Fraser Richards and grandson of Albert Schuneman, a partner in Schuneman and Evans department store founded in St. Paul in 1888. "Mac" was Golden Gloves Runner-Up boxing champion, Internist, Cardiologist, and Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. Peggy's architecture training was interrupted when Mac was sent to Japan and stationed in Tokyo with General Douglas MacArthur's Occupying Forces shortly after the end of WWII. An officer with the rank of Captain rising to Major, Mac was entitled to bring Peggy to reside in Tokyo for about a year. In Tokyo Peggy acquired considerable knowledge and expertise in Asian Art History. Returning to St. Paul, she resided in the Richards' Victorian era brownstone family home on the "Horseshoe" at Crocus Place. She worked for the Minnesota Museum of Art combining her architecture training and expertise in oriental art history in designing the museum's beautiful oriental art exhibits. Peggy studied and spoke relatively fluent French and Swedish. She was an accomplished Ballet dancer, danced with the Andahazy Ballet Company of St. Paul, founders of whom trained with members of the Soviet Russian Bolshoi and Kirov schools of Ballet. Peggy loved to be in close proximity to nature, flowers and birds. She was an avid gardener, grew magnificent funkia, petunias and geraniums. She had many close friends who met regularly in book club to discuss recent and avant garde literature. She was an excellent gourmet cook of French and Swedish cuisine. She greatly enjoyed cross country skiing and loved her dogs, the family's golden retrievers. Mac and Peggy were never without their golden retrievers, especially loved being with them at their cottage on Madeline Island and during boating expeditions on Lake Superior. We salute you Peggy; Qu'elle dansera toujours dans nos memoires: that she will dance in our memories forever. Peggy is preceded in death by her husband Dr. Albert MacDonell Richards and her youngest daughter Lisa Anne-Treville Richards. She is survived by her oldest daughter Berry Laughlin Richards, son Dr. Fraser MacDonell Richards, grandsons Dr. Masters MacMillan Richards, Hunter MacDonell Richards, Alex Binck and granddaughter Elin Binck. Peggy's ashes will be interred in Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul beside her beloved husband and youngest daughter in a private family ceremony. A private celebration of Peggy's life with family and friends will be scheduled on Madeline Island in Lake Superior in the Summer, 2019. Peggy's family requests that any memorial donations in her name be directed to: Minnesota Museum of American Art, 350 Robert Street North, St. Paul, MN 55101 (www.mmaa.org; tel. 651-797-2571) or Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve, P.O. Box 28, La Pointe, WI 54850 (www.miwp.org)