Margaret McBreen remembered as outspoken force on Peabody school board

PEABODY-Margaret E. McBreen (McNiff) will probably be remembered as one of the city’s most outspoken School Committee members, among other notable titles.?She was one of those larger-than-life characters in Peabody,” said Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti.During her stint on the board from 1969 to 1977, and again in 2001, it wasn’t uncommon for temperatures to rise and buttons to be pushed, causing meetings to last well into the evening. Reaching an agreement quickly and easily wasn’t exactly her forte.?She had very high standards,” recalled City Councilor Anne Manning, who not only grew up around McBreen, but worked alongside her for almost two years. “She was hard working, paid attention to detail, and not remotely afraid to speak her mind.”When Manning was elected to the School Committee in 2001, she would often meet McBreen at her home for dinner, then drive them both to the Tuesday night meetings.?Her love for the English language, you would definitely experience that at every meeting,” she remembered. “She had an expensive vocabulary.”According to Manning, McBreen was a historian full of useful information about past successes and failures in the city of Peabody. She was an advocate for education reform and a strong advocate for accountability.?She was way ahead of her time,” she said.Born Margaret McNiff in Salem, she graduated St. John’s High and Emmanuel College in 1949 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She later studied at the Harvard School of Education and received her Master’s degree from Boston University in 1953.A lover of knowledge, she furthered her education with graduated courses at Salem State College and studied Massachusetts law through a Harvard Extension program.?She had a passion for education and was dedicated to Peabody?s schools,” Bonfanti said.She taught for 11 years in Boston and Provincetown before making the move to teach elementary education at the Center School in Peabody.She was chosen as Peabody Woman of the Year 1968 by a Daily Item-sponsored poll for her vast achievements, affiliations and community work in the city.?Say what you want about Maggie, but she had her finger on the pulse of Peabody,” said Manning, adding, “I got an absolute kick out of her. She had a great sense of humor.”McBreen was an active member of a long list of organizations, including the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the League of Women Voters, the Visiting Nurse Association, the North Shore Catholic Charities, and North Shore Community Action Programs. In 1977, she ran an unsuccessful race for Massachusetts state representative.Wife of the late Henry McBreen, she is survived by her five children, Brendan McBreen and his wife Amanda of Virginia, Andrew McBreen and his wife Michelle of Connecticut, Rosemary Meade and her husband William of Melrose, Peter McBreen of Virginia, Ellen McBreen and her husband Joshua Clark of Paris, France, and eight grandchildren.A funeral Mass will be held today at 11 a.m. At the St. John the Baptist church in Peabody. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Conway, Cahill, Brodeur Funeral Home at 20 Church St., Peabody.