Margaret Kay Stewart
Margaret Kay Stewart came to Excelsior Springs in March of 1938 to assume a temporary
assignment as manager of publicity and business promotion for The Elms Hotel, at that time owned
by the Eppley Hotel Compnay. By June, she was elected secretary-manager of the Excelsior Springs
Chamber of Commerce.
Margaret Katherine "Kay" Stewart attended Washington State University, where she studied
journalism. Most of her early career was formed working for various Chamber of Commerces. From
1926 to 1928, she served as secretary for the Chamber of Commerce in Flagstaff, Arizona. In 1929,
she worked as secretary for the Chamber of Commerce, Chandler, Arizona. Stewart then was editor
of the Casa Grande Dispatch at Casa Grande, Arizona., however, in just about a year she moved to
Phoenix, Arizona., and opened Stewart Business Services and Offices. From Arizona, she moved
to Columbus, Nebraska, to work for its Chamber of Commerce in 1936. Before coming to Excelsior
Springs in 1938, she was connected with the Santa Fe railroad as traveling passenger agent and
lecturer, as well as country manager of Automobile Club of Washington., Aberneen, Washington.
By 1940, Stewart was on the move again, this time being appointed Executive Secretary for
Missouri State Chamber of Commerce in Jefferson City, Missouri.
"I am deeply grateful for the opportunities which have been made possible here and
acknowledge unhesitatingly that the degree of success attained by the Chamber of Commerce in
particular and the city as a whole is due to the interested support of a large group of Excelsior
Springs people," Stewart said. "I am going forward into this enlarged civic program for the State of
Missouri, endowed with a spirit of enthusiasm and interest, which, in a major sense, is directly
traceable to my work in this community.
"It is my hope and desire to do my part in an effort to continue the constructive progress of
Excelsior Springs and to ultimately see this city rightfully recognized in all sections of the country
as America's greatest Spa and recreational center."
Stewart was membership chairman for Missouri for the National Association of Commercial
Organization Secretaries; a member of the publicity committee and secretary of the Northwest
District of the Missouri State Chamber; and a director of the Missouri Commercial Secretaries
Association. Organizations in which she had taken an active part in Excelsior Springs included
president of the Excelsior Springs Business and Professional Women's Club (BPW); honorary
member of Junior Civic Improvement Association (CIA); Presbyterian Church; Mulesta Association;
chairman and assisted in the organization of the Inter-Civic Club council and member of Clay
County Historical Society.
One BPW historian dubbed her a "will 'o the wisp" because of her whirlwind movement from
one job to another. Her association with various BPW organizations included member of the
Flagstaff BPW, Chandler BPW, Casa Grande BPW, League BPW in Phoenix, as well as the Phoenix
BPW, Tacoma, Washington BPW and Columbus, Nebraska BPW. She was BPW/Arizona District
Conference and Publicity Chair in 1930 and State Recording Secretary in 1931. Also in 1931,
Stewart served as BPW/US Corresponding Secretary and was published in the BPW/USA
Independent Woman (forerunner of National Business Women) magazine.
Stewart remained a member of the "spa" club through April of 1941. At this time she had
become Executive Secretary of The Denver Real Estate Exchange in Denver, Colorado, and
members of the Excelsior Springs club lost contact with her. The 1941 State Historical Society of
Missouri included a notation by P. Casper Harvey, director of public relations at William Jewell
college, acknowledging contributions by Miss Margaret K. Stewart for descriptions of various
historic scenes and buildings in Excelsior Springs.