Margaret Blair

Blair, Margaret Henderson

Margaret Henderson Blair passed away peacefully with loved ones by her side on March 8, 2018 at the age of 74.  Meg’s life was full of love, passion and commitment, as evidenced by the many contributions to her profession and the communities in which she lived.  She was a mentor, a loyal friend and guiding spirit to the family she loved and adored.  Often described as being “larger than life”, Meg was a compassionate, honest and genuine force who strived to make a positive contribution in all of her life’s endeavors.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, to Charles Packard Henderson and Margaret Salter Arms Henderson, Meg attended the Rayen School, Sarah Lawrence College and the New School for Social Research in New York.  She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Southern Indiana where she helped establish the Blair Chair for Business Science.

Meg began her career in advertising research through the founding of The ARS Group in Evansville, Indiana, in 1969 which later became The Quality Measurement Company where she served as president until 2005.  Meg was appointed founding President and CEO of the Marketing Accountability Foundation and Marketing Accountability Standards Board in October 2007.  In 2017, she transitioned from these roles to serve as the Foundation’s Chair and Assistant Secretary.  Meg’s career was dedicated to the science of measuring advertising effectiveness and how it impacts behavior in the marketplace.  She was recognized for her life’s work by the Academy of Marketing Science and the Advertising Research Foundation, receiving the Distinguished Practitioner Award from the Academy of Marketing Science in 2005 and the Advertising Research Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.

Beyond her professional career, Meg was active in the three communities in which she lived.  In Evansville, Indiana, she served as trustee of the First Presbyterian Church, Chairperson of the Red Cross Volunteer Blood Program and was the first female member of the Evansville Rotary where she received the Paul Harris Fellow award.  At her summer home on Nantucket, Massachusetts, Meg served on the board of the Nantucket Aids Network and Access Nantucket from 2000-2016, and was instrumental in the successful merger of those organizations into the current Gosnold on Nantucket organization.   At her winter home in Islamorada, Florida, she served as Team Chair of the Red Cross Florida Keys Development Team where she was honored with the Unsung Hero Award in 2012 and served on the Board of the Morada Way Arts and Cultural District.

An active participant in her religious communities, she was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Evansville, the First Congregational Church in Nantucket, the Siasconset Union Chapel in Nantucket, and the Coral Isles Church in Islamorada.

A passionate fisher, Meg won prizes as a top angler in various categories in Florida tournaments, including the Don Shula Celebrity Classic, the Ocean Reef Club Reef Cup and the George Bush Bonefish Tournament.  A member of the Nantucket Anglers Club, the Ocean Reef Club and the Islamorada Fishing Club, Meg’s love of the water also included a lifetime of sailing and blue water cruising.

Meg is survived by the love of her life and spouse of twenty-two years, Lori Headley Blair, two children, Michael Stefanos and his wife, Mary, of Naples, Florida and Jamie Musia of Gloucester, MA, and a grandson, Christopher Stefanos, of Cape Coral, Florida.  Survivors also include her sister, Elizabeth Arms Henderson Lufkin, of Bonita Springs, FL, and Marion, MA, and two brothers, Charles Packard Henderson, Jr. and his wife, Katharine, of New York, NY, and Warner Arms Henderson, and his wife, Barbara, of Cohasset, MA.   Meg is also survived by seven nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Meg’s life will be held at the Coral Isles Church in Islamorada, Florida on April 7, at 3:00 pm.    A second celebration is being planned this summer in Massachusetts.  Memorial donations in Meg’s memory can be made to Coral Isles Church, 90001 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier, FL 33070, or The Good Health Clinic, 91555 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier, FL 33070.