Margaret Hansman earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees at Colorado College; her masters theses was titled Conjugate Functions in Space. She went to the University of Illinois for doctoral work, most likely with encouragement from Sisam, the head of the department, who taught there for several years before coming to Colorado College. According to those who worked with her, Hansman was a reliable member of the department covering standard courses during both the normal academic year and the summer session. She was slightly reclusive doing her work regularly and carefully. She retired in 1976 holding the rank of Associate Professor.

Margaret died quietly in Denver, Colorado, on April 8, 2001.

(In the 1960's, Hansman wrote to relatives of past department members and collected several photographs that are included in this website.)