 In 1979, she was named official greeter of New York City — officially the vice chairman of the City Commission for Distinguished Guests — the first woman to hold the honorary post which paid a salary of $1 per year.As greeter, she welcomed individuals such as Diana, Princess of Wales and Pope John Paul II.Though her friends and family could not explain what triggered her involvement there, Margolis was involved in creating a wide range of programs for inmates at the Rikers Island prison facility operated by the New York City Department of Corrections.