Award Given to Sally Watters
Published on June 19, 2013 by Eileen Samberg
At the SOLF Board of Trustees meeting of June 18, 2013, Sally Watters finished her term as Southborough Open Land Foundation (“SOLF”) president, which she held since 2007.
The highlight of Sally’s term was that of SOLF receiving a 56-acre parcel of land in 2008 from Elaine and the late Phil Beals, longtime Southborough residents and area civic leaders. Then with help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and many volunteers, Sally and other SOLF trustees turned a section of Beals Preserve into an “early succession habitat to promote biodiversity for at-risk species. Since 2009, SOLF has also hosted many passive recreation and nature seminars at this beautiful property for the community’s benefit.
Sally received her AB in History from St. Lawrence University and MA in History from Clark University. She worked for several years as head counselor at the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Stony Brook Reservation Day Camp. A history and geography teacher for 34 years in the Walpole Public Schools, Sally won an award from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library for outstanding curriculum development. As befits an educator, Sally was especially interested in sharing SOLF properties with area youth for education and leadership development opportunities, including local Boy Scout troops, Girl Scout troops, Southborough’s Extended Day Program, and Algonquin Regional High School community service projects.
A SOLF trustee since 1990, Sally also supports Pilgrim Congregational Church, is an Election Day poll volunteer, and helps organize the Boston Marathon at the Hopkinton, MA starting line.
Sally and husband Jed moved to Southborough in 1976. They are parents of two daughters, both graduates of Algonquin and St. Lawrence. Rebecca also received a degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science and has done environmental work in Mongolia and Cambodia. She presently works for a conservation organization in Jackson, WY. Amanda works as an editor for science textbooks, enjoys nature photography, and is an elite runner.
To recognize Sally’s many civic contributions, Southborough’s Board of Selectmen designated June 18, 2013, as Sally B. Watters “Day of Honor.” Congratulations Sally.
The photos below show Sally with the proclamation from the Southborough Board of Selectmen, and the proclamation given her.
