The American Harp Society has announced that well-known and influential harpist Sally Maxwell recently passed away. Maxwell was founder of the American Harp Society Foundation in 1993, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the AHS in 2010. (Read more).
AHS Chairman of the Board Felice Pomeranz shared the following tribute with members:
It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of Sally Maxwell. We were so blessed to have Sally in our midst for so many years and to have learned from her about the workings of the AHS and the AHS Foundation. For those of you who did not know her, here are some highlights from the many positions Sally held through the years.
She was President of the Eugene (Oregon) Chapter, a Northwest Regional Director, a Director at Large, on the Board of Readers for the Journal, and Chairman of the Harp Literature Committtee. Sally also served as Vice President of the AHS prior to serving as President from 1986-1988 and again from 1994 to 1998. In 1993, Sally founded the American Harp Society Foundation, for which she was President until last year. She was very proud of the Foundation and its many awards and prizes given through the years. Sally was also instrumental in helping run the Ruth Lorraine Close Awards, which was a competition that provided scholarships for college students, awarding three students per year with monies for college. This award continued as the Anne Adams award until recently, and Sally worked directly with Dr. Burton Adams to make these awards a reality.
The AHS was pleased to present Sally with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 in Tacoma, Washington, for her many years of service to the Society.
We will miss Sally’s drive and her wonderful way of getting the job done. She was an excellent harpist, mentor, and friend, and we will all miss her terribly. The AHS sends its condolences to her lovely family and will always remember her tremendous spirit.
Thank you, Sally, for all you have shown and given us through the years.
Respectfully submitted in sadness,
Felice Pomeranz
AHS Chairman of the Board
