Margaret Dobson (June 20, 1931 – July 13, 2012) was a talented member of the Erv Lind Florists softball program who went on to be a key figure in education and creating opportunities for girls and women in sports.
Dobson was another high school student with no team to play on at Fort Vancouver (WA). She joined the Erv Lind Florists team as a teenager and, at age 18, finished the 1950 national tournament with a record .615 batting average. That year she enrolled at Portland’s Vanport College. The college had no softball team, but she earned a varsity letter playing for the baseball team. After earning a degree from the University of Oregon in physical education, she joined the faculty at Portland State in 1955. She would also complete her Masters and Doctorate programs at UO.
After retiring from softball in 1959, Dobson turned toward administration and physical education for disabled children. Her doctorate research helped design the presidential physical fitness test in the 1960s. Ater meeting Eunice Kennedy Shriver, spent six years advocating teaching physical fitness to disabled children. That led to the founding of Special Olympics. Margaret became a full professor at PSU in 1968.
Dobson was dedicated to equity in sports. She co-authored the book “Softball for Girls” with University of Oregon coach and OSHOF member Becky Sisley in 1971. She also gave testimony that contributed to the passage of Title IX. Dr. Dobson retired from Portland State as executive vice president in 1990.
Margaret Dobson was inducted into the American Softball Association Hall of Fame in 1964. She is also a member of the Portland Metropolitan Softball Hall of Fame. Sports Illustrated listed her as one of the greatest athletes of the century for the State of Oregon.