Margaret Josephine Zattau Roan (July 25, 1905 – March 18, 1975) was an American music therapist and clubwoman, based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Margaret Zattau Roan
A white woman with wavy bobbed hair, in an oval frame
Margaret Zattau, from a 1925 yearbook
Born
Margaret Josephine Zattau

July 25, 1905
Maysville, Georgia
DiedMarch 18, 1975 (aged 69)
Atlanta, Georgia
OccupationMusic therapist

Early life and education

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Margaret Josephine Zattau was born in Maysville, Georgia, the daughter of Charles Maximillian Zattau II and Josephine M. Fowler Zattau. Her paternal grandfather, Ludwig Zattau, was born in Rhineland-Palatinate and moved to Philadelphia as a boy, in 1859. Her father was president of a printing company.[1]

She attended Atlanta's Washington Seminary and graduated from Wesleyan College in Georgia in 1926.[2][3] At Wesleyan, she earned diploma in piano and was active in many musical clubs and ensembles.[4] She pursued further studies at the Juilliard School. She trained as a music therapist during an internship at the Eloise Hospital in Michigan, and in psychology at the Emory University and medical school.[5][6]

Career

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Roan was a noted music therapist and music teacher based in Atlanta.[7] She worked with disabled children at the Elks Aidmore Hospital,[8] and as music director at the Marian Howard School,[9] using music for physical and psychological rehabilitation; for example, helping a child to recover lung function by playing a harmonica. She also promoted music therapy for adults, especially disabled veterans. "We must all have release from the emotional tensions which build up inside us," she explained to the Atlanta Constitution in 1947, "and music can do this better than any other form of self-expression, I believe."[10] She published books for other practitioners, including Very First Songs for Seated Rhythm (1951). She wrote about her music therapy work for the Wesleyan Alumnae Magazine in 1952.[5] She spoke at conferences of the National Association for Music Therapy.[11]

Roan was president of the Georgia Federation of Music Clubs, president of the DeKalb County League of Women Voters,[12] and served on the national board of directors of the National League of Women Voters, overseeing League activities in nine Southern states and the District of Columbia.[13][14][15] During World War II, she organized the Women's Volunteer Service in DeKalb County.[16]

Personal life

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Margaret Zattau married lawyer Augustus Morrow Roan in 1926.[4] They had two children, Charles (1928–1988) and Margaret (1937–2014). Augustus Roan died in 1959;[17] Margaret Zattau Roan died in 1975, aged 69 years.[16] Her papers are a major component of the Roan Family Papers at the Atlanta History Center.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Rites Set Today for C. M. Zattau". The Atlanta Constitution. 1943-01-09. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Wesleyan College (1926). Veterropt 1926. p. 119 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ "Atlantan Manager of Prize-Winning College Year Book". The Atlanta Constitution. 1927-02-12. p. 10. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Miss Zattau Weds Augustus M. Roan". The Atlanta Constitution. 1926-09-01. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Roan, Margaret Zattau (May 1952). "Music in the Creative Growth of the Child". Wesleyan Alumnae Magazine: 5–6 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ "Cerebral Palsy Society to Meet". The Atlanta Constitution. 1950-02-13. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Who's who of American Women and Women of Canada. A.N. Marquis Company. 1968. p. 1020.
  8. ^ "Andrew D. Clark Heads Cerebral Palsy Society". The Atlanta Constitution. 1950-02-21. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Cash, Sarah (1972-08-13). "She Gave Music Pills". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 181. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ McKinley, Lenna (1947-12-18). "Mrs. Roan Finds Music Aids Psychiatrists". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 22. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Clay, Helen (December 1, 1951). "Music Therapists Hold 2nd Confab in Chicago". The Chicago Defender. p. 7 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ "DeKalb League of Women Voters Elects Mrs. A. M. Roan as President". The Atlanta Constitution. 1934-02-06. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-03-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Women Voters Honor Mrs. Augustus Roan". The Atlanta Constitution. 1934-04-28. p. 9. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Vote League Elects Mrs. Augustus M. Roan". The Atlanta Constitution. 1936-05-02. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Mrs. Roan and Atlanta Delegates Attend Women Voters' Convention". The Atlanta Constitution. 1938-04-25. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-03-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b "Funeral Today for Mrs. Roan". The Atlanta Constitution. 1975-03-20. p. 91. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Judge Roan Dies at 61; Former DeKalb Jurist". The Atlanta Constitution. 1959-10-14. p. 15. Retrieved 2021-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Collection: Roan family papers". Kenan Research Center Finding Aids. Retrieved 2021-03-22.