Positive Profile of the Week: Rep. Margaret Drye

By JAY LUCAS
The Sunshine Report
This week we are delighted to highlight a great friend and tireless leader in the Granite State: Rep. Margaret Drye. In fact, when I think of someone who is always willing to help people 24/7, and willing to work on new opportunities — even if takes a second chance — I think of Margaret Drye.

Margaret had a remarkable resilience and has benefited from her persistence and being given a second chance. In 2017, she ran in a special election for the House of Representatives but did not win. She ran again in 2018 and 2020, with her daughter in the adjacent seat but again did not win the seat (in 2020, she lost by less than 1% margin). Still, she persevered and in 2022, won! Margaret is now serving on the House Education committee.

Margaret is a woman who not only knows how to convert on a second chance, but who also steps up when needed. She is a 44-year resident of Plainfield, New Hampshire, who for over 30 years, home-schooled her nine children from kindergarten through high school. A dedicated homemaker, she has also always found the time to serve her community.

For the same last 44 years, she has volunteered as an EMT with the Cornish Rescue Squad, the longest volunteer ever for the squad, helping her neighbors in their times of need.

In her early 20s, Margaret and her husband, Rob, co-founded New England’s first crisis pregnancy center. Later, she spent 13 years as a member of the Board of Directors of Hanover Co-op, including two years as chairman, over 25 years as the Sullivan County 4-H club leader, over 45 years as a volunteer American Red Cross/American Heart Association CPR instructor, 15 years as President of the Meriden Bird Club… and she is a member of the Leadership New Hampshire graduating class of 1996, as well as a graduate and former board member of the Vesta Roy Excellence in Public Service Series. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Eastern States Exposition (The Big E).

But she knows she can always do more to help her neighbors as an elected official. She has held elected positions in her community including 15 years as clerk of the Plainfield Village Water District and as a current Plainfield Cemetery Trustee. She is also a former member and chairman of the Plainfield Finance Committee and was co-chair of Plainfield’s 250th Anniversary Celebration.

It’s this spirit of volunteering, helping others and being a leader in her community that distinguishes Margaret. She serves as a role model; a positive force that inspires others and enriches the lives of all those around her. Thank you, Margaret, for all that you do!