Margaret King Stanley

Margaret King Stanley, a major supporter of cultural and educational institutions, passed away on May 24, 2026, at the age of 96. Stanley was a passionate advocate for the arts and a visionary community leader. She is remembered for her creativity, her love of music, art and dance, her commitment to arts education, and her passion for travel.

Margaret was born in San Antonio on December 11, 1929, to Margaret Read Haymore and Creston Alexander King.

Margaret’s lifelong thirst for knowledge, adventure and creativity manifested in childhood. Growing up during WW II, she ran a lending library for neighborhood children, wrote and produced plays in the family garage, and edited a neighborhood newsletter that she printed on a hectograph machine. She collected autographs from leading movie stars and cut out magazine pictures of the Hollywood Divas for her scrapbooks. These childhood enthusiasms soon became the basis of her future pursuits.

After attending St. Mary’s Hall and Mary Baldwin College, Margaret graduated with a degree in English from the University of Texas in Austin and later earned a Master’s in Education/English from Incarnate Word. She embarked on a teaching career at Laura Steele Elementary and Ft. Sam Houston Elementary concluding at Trinity University where she held a fellowship in English and taught English Literature and Classics.

Margaret found creative expression in fashion and jewelry design. In the early 1960’s she founded ChrisStan Clothes with business partner Harriet Christian. The company designed a line of women’s “patio” clothing that was sold in stores across the state of Texas and created the first staff uniforms at the Tower of the Americas when it opened for HemisFair in 1968. In 1969, Margaret served as the Mistress of the Robes for the Coronation of the Queen for the Order of the Alamo. Her “Court of Time & Space” boldly captured the adventurous spirit of the NASA moon landing that took place several months later that year. In 2024 the Witte Museum staged a public exhibit of her remarkable costumes in celebration of the Solar Eclipse. In retirement she continued to enjoy designing handmade semi-precious jewelry under the label MKS Designs.

Margaret was a dedicated volunteer on arts boards at the local, state and national levels. Her volunteer service included work on behalf of the San Antonio Symphony, the Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Council of the Metropolitan Opera. As President of the Symphony League, she began the Symphony Belles, which continues today as an important fundraiser. She served as President of University Round Table for three years. A charter member and Past President of the Opera Guild of San Antonio, Margaret worked to introduce school children to opera partnering with UTSA in the local public schools. This engagement proved so meaningful that OGSA and she initiated a vocal scholarship fund to nurture emerging talent. This program continues today under the stewardship of Opera San Antonio. Many also remember her KRTU radio show, ‘On Stage with Margaret Stanley’, which ran for fourteen years beginning in 1983 and featured fascinating interviews with the top names in the performing arts.

Margaret was more than a volunteer: she was a performing arts professional who led with enthusiasm and vision. In the mid-1970’s she brought The Joffrey Ballet to San Antonio. Their performances were so enthusiastically received that she founded the San Antonio Performing Arts Association, a nonprofit presenter that produced programs for more than twenty years featuring world-renowned talent. From Phillip Glass to Kathleen Battle, Itzhak Perlman and Andres Segovia, Margaret brought the best of the arts to the San Antonio community. Her subscription series included the London Philharmonic, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Twyla Tharp, and the Martha Graham Company among others. Dance workshops featuring Jose Greco and Robert Joffrey were offered in the community. The crowning glory was the Early Music Festival of San Antonio produced in a partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Culture. This event took place in 1990 and 1992 and put San Antonio on the world stage, earning Margaret the prestigious Erasmus Award presented for Distinguished Service to the Arts by the Dutch government. Her professional arts career concluded with appointments as artistic advisor to the San Antonio Symphony Conductor Christopher Wilkins and as a consultant to the Carver Cultural Center.

Over her lifetime, Margaret’s contributions were recognized by many organizations. She was the recipient of the Junior League of San Antonio’s ‘Volunteer Extraordinaire’ Award, the University Roundtable’s ‘Best & Brightest Award’ and Arts San Antonio’s ‘Lifetime Achievement” Award. She was inducted into the inaugural class of the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame. Mary Baldwin and St. Mary’s Hall both recognized her as an Outstanding Alumna. Hailed as “Today’s Woman” and a “Woman of the Year in the Arts”, Women in Communications honored her with a Headliner Award and JC Penney Company chose her for the “Spirit of American Women Award for Creativity”. The Cactus Pear Music Festival, UTSA and Opera Volunteers International have applauded her dedication to the arts.

Margaret King Stanley was predeceased by her parents, Margaret Haymore King and Creston Alexander King, Sr., her brother Creston Alexander “Mickey” King, Jr. and her sister-in-law Nancy Yarrington King. She is survived by her daughters, Torrey Margaret Stanley Carleton and her husband, James Edward Carleton of San Antonio and Jean Cullen Stanley of New York City; her nephews Creston A. King III (Elizabeth Nicholson) and William Reynolds King II (Tari Ann), and her niece Laura King Irving (Scott Nathan).

A private interment took place on June 4 at San Jose Cemetery. A Celebration of Life is scheduled for June 18 from 4 to 6 PM at the San Antonio Country Club.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial donations may be made to the Margaret King Stanley Vocal Arts Scholarship Fund in care of Opera San Antonio, 115 Auditorium Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78205.