5 minute read
Remembering Sally Sasz '17
Endowed Scholarship Fund Established in Her Memory
By Katharine Atkins, Director of Advancement
Sally Sasz, an adored member of the class of 2017, was one of those rare people who touched every person she encountered in a positive way.
At Country Day, her accolades were numerous, and in many ways, she was a living expression of our school’s mission. With a smile that could light a room, she was an authentic, genuine, kind, and passionate leader, athlete, artist, and scholar.
Sally was president of the National Art Honor Society, a Big Sister mentor at Rama Road Elementary, a member of the art and literary magazine staff, and a member of both the varsity basketball team and the four-time state championship varsity tennis team. Upon graduation, she was honored as the Top Scholar for the Year and won the Mary Allen Todd English Award and the Suzanne Pardee Hynes Spanish Award.
Her drive and myriad talents landed her the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she continued to excel as a double arts history and English major, played club tennis, and served as an Art Ambassador for UNC Arts Everywhere. She also was a DJ at UNC XYC Radio and director of Art + Life, a campus wide organization that fostered arts programming for disadvantaged youth. However, what made Sally stand out the most was her kindness, her authentic enthusiasm, and her genuine love and concern for those around her.
It was with deep sadness that our community learned of Sally’s passing in July 2020, while she was hiking in Utah.
Due to the pandemic and gathering restrictions at the time, the Sasz family was limited in their ability to host the type of service and attendance Sally surely would have garnered. But these pandemic restrictions did not stop the outpouring of love and support for the Sasz family from the multitudes of people Sally has touched and befriended over the years.
Country Day is honored to be one such avenue in which people have expressed their adoration for Sally and for the Sasz family—her parents Steve and Nancy Hanes Sasz ’85, and her sisters Patsy ’20 and Lulu ’22.
A Scholarship in Sally’s Memory
The collective memorial gifts of hundreds of families and classmates near and far have come together in support and creation of the Sally Sasz ’17 Memorial Scholarship Endowed Fund. This new scholarship will be awarded annually to a deserving Upper School student who shares some of Sally’s wonderful characteristics:
It has been deeply touching to witness the classes of 1985 and 2017, along with numerous other friends, family members, and Country Day alumni, come together to honor Sally in this way.
The McLawhorn/Johnson family shared: “Sally was special to us in so many ways; a family connection that spans decades, a teammate, a classmate, and above all a forever friend. Nancy and Steve’s vision to help provide a Country Day experience to a student with Sally’s qualities and love of life struck a chord with each of us. It was an easy decision for our family to offer support. Sally made our community so much better and so will these students!”
An Artist’s Legacy
In addition to the Sally Sasz ’17 Memorial Scholarship Endowed Fund, Sally’s beautiful and profound art continues to be a legacy that carries forward.
In September 2020, Country Day’s Fine Arts Department installed a feature gallery wall of Sally’s work throughout the entryway of the Hance Fine Arts Gallery. As part of this install, the school was able to display pieces of Sally’s art that are part of the school’s permanent art collection as well as from Sally’s personal collection.
“Through her art, Sally is able to continue teaching and sharing, connecting people with their community and with their creativity,” says Tom Delaney, chair of the Upper School Fine Arts Department.
The Upper School Art Purchase Award was renamed in Sally’s honor. Each year moving forward, a Country Day senior will be selected to carry forward the Sally Sasz Memorial Purchase Award.
Most recently, pieces of Sally’s art were featured in the Alumni Art Show, which ran January 25-March 3 on Cannon Campus. Her pieces were showcased alongside works by her sisters Patsy and Lulu, an especially moving tribute.
While our community continues to mourn the loss of an extraordinary life cut far too short, Sally’s legacy continues to inspire our community across generations and throughout our community.
We are forever grateful for Sally and all the ways she shined and showed us how to live an exemplary life.
—The Sasz Family
