
After graduating from Smith College in 1947, Sally worked at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, and then in advertising design at Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company. She married John Robbins Rand on June 23, 1951, and they moved to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where their two sons were born, Robert Wallace Rand of Brunswick, Maine and William Baker Rand, of Yarmouth, Maine.
They relocated to Maine four years later, and Sally began her lifelong work in volunteer and community service in historic preservation. Sally was a trustee of the Fort Western Museum, Augusta, from 1956 to 1963, and a trustee of the Unitarian Church, Augusta, from 1961 to 1963.
In 1963 Sally and family moved to Freeport, Maine. Sally was a trustee of the Portland Society of Art from 1966 to 1972, and a member of the McLellan-Sweat House Committee from 1972 to 1977; a trustee of Greater Portland Landmarks from 1972 to 1975; a trustee of North Yarmouth Academy from 1973 to 1977; a member of the Freeport Local Town Government Study Committee in 1971; a member of the Freeport Charter Commission from 1973 to 1974; and a member of the Freeport Conservation Commission from 1973 to 1974. Sally was architectural historian for the Freeport Historic Survey in 1973 to 1974 and 1979 to 1998, and historian for the Freeport Historical Society from 1972 to 1974. She was a ski instructor at Sugarloaf, Maine where the family skied each winter. In the summers Sally was an avid sailor and gardener.
Sally was an advisory trustee of Greater Portland Landmarks from 1975 to 1986; the Portland Society of Art from 1972 to 1982; and the Portland Museum of Art from 1982 to 1986. She was historian for the Freeport Historical Society from 1974 to 1979, and a member of the Maine State Judicial Council from 1976 to 1978. Sally was a member of the Joint Select Committee on State Policy for the Preservation, Development and Utilization of Historic and Cultural Resources in the State of Maine from 1977 to 1978. She was a board member and secretary of the Harpswell Historical Society from 1981 to 1986.
Sally was a member of the Chamberlain House Restoration Committee for the Pejebscot Historical Society from 1983 to 1992. She was a member of the Board of Directors for Preservation Action of Washington, D.C. from 1988 to 1989.
Sally was a trustee of Historic New England from 1981 to 1987, a member and chair of Historic New England’s Maine Council from 1978 to 1996, and a member of its New England Advisory Council from 1996 to 2017.
Sally continued her work with the Freeport Historical Society on the Collections Committee from 1986 to 1988, and Buildings and Grounds from 1988 to 1989. She was an advisory trustee of the Maine Olmsted Alliance from 1991 to 1996. Sally was a trustee of the Victoria Mansion, Portland, from 1995 to 2000, and chaired the Restoration Committee from 1995 to 1999 and 2003 to 2004. Sally continued work in Greater Portland Landmarks from 1975 to 2004, and was chair of the McLellan- Sweat House Study Committee from 1998 to 1999. She was a member of the Maine State House and Capitol Park Commission from 1988 to 1998; a member of the Maine State Capitol Planning Committee from 1989 to 1994; and a member of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission from 1994 to 2005.
For Maine Preservation, Sally was a trustee from 1972 to 1997; treasurer from 1972 to 1975; president from 1975 to 1978 and 1992 to 1994, and an advisory trustee from 1997 to 2018. She was coordinator for several Maine Preservation state-wide conferences, including “Maine’s Historic Environment”, “Local Historic Districts”, “Preserving Town Character”, “Maine Lighthouses”, “Historic Preservation and Land Conservation Easements”, and “Historic Gardens and Landscapes: Preserving Maine’s Legacy”.
In 2016 Sally was co-curator of the Mildred G. Burrage Exhibit at the University of New England Art Gallery. She also consulted on the Mildred Burrage exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art in 2012. She was a life-long summer visitor to Monhegan Island and a supporter of several island organizations.
Sally received numerous awards for her tireless and generous work in historic preservation, including achievement awards from the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, 1980, Greater Portland Landmarks, 1986 and 1995, and the American Association of University Women in Maine, 1986; the Award of Merit from the Eva Gebhard- Gorguad Foundation, 1990; and the Deborah Morton Award from the Westbrook College University of New England, 1996.
Surviving Sally are her son Robert, acoustician, his partner Terry Morgan, and her son William, artist, son in law Santiago Avila Encina Rey, her granddaughter Katherine Alden Rand, producer, of Burbank, CA, and many beloved nieces and nephews. Sally was predeceased by her husband John and by her brother Rodney Wallace of Orange, Ma.
There will be a memorial service on Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 2 p.m. at the South Freeport Church in South Freeport, Maine.
There will be a private gathering at Mt. Auburn Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Monhegan Museum (1 Lighthouse Hill, Monhegan, ME 04852) or the puppy dogs at:
Coastal Humane Society
190 Pleasant Street
Brunswick, Maine 04011
Arrangements are in the care of Brackett Funeral Home, 29 Federal Street, Brunswick.
Condolences can be expressed to the family at www.bracketfuneralhome.com.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less