SARAH HECKSCHER

HECKSCHER SARAH (nee STEVENS) Died of metastatic breast cancer on July 17th, 2021, in Marin County, California, at the age of 85. A year prior, she moved from Philadelphia to live with her daughter, Beth Tribolet, and Beth's family, in Mill Valley. On Sunday, October 17th (Sarah's birthday), she will be remembered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Chestnut Hill, where she was a parishioner for more than 50 years, and where she sang in the choir for 35 years. Born in Boston, Sarah grew up in Dover, Massachusetts. She considered herself a New Englander first. Like her Quaker forebears who settled on Nantucket Island, she believed in service to her community. Her ancestors were early proponents of women's rights; Sarah believed in a meaningful college education for young women. Sarah worked at Springside School, now Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, for 36 years. When she retired she was the school's director of guidance. Her job was to usher high school seniors, all of them girls, into what she characterized as "good fit" schools. That meant the right size and location, with academic strengths suited to the girls' interests, so they entered college prepared, knowing themselves and knowing their purpose. As her career evolved, Sarah formed a cohort of college admissions professionals who re-envisioned the process of getting kids into college. She merged two silos--guidance counselors and college admissions professionals--at conferences such as the Fitzwilliam Conference, which allowed them to exchange intelligence and improve communication. One of her proudest accomplishments was co-founding the Blackberry River Retreat in 1986. Sarah wrote over 30 papers on the admissions process and served on several boards, including the College Board and the National Association of College Admissions Counseling, which gave her the distinguished service award in 1983, and a professional recognition award in 2002. The College Board in the Middle States awarded her for "outstanding service to young people." Sarah always had needlepoint in her hands. She enjoyed a rum and tonic with lime, and a good sports contest, especially if it involved her favorite Philadelphia teams: the Eagles and the Flyers. She was an athlete herself, having played field hockey at Radcliffe College, where she was the captain for two years. She also played lacrosse, and later, racket sports. Sarah spent summers in the 1960's and 70's with her family, exploring the American West in a blue Ford Econoline van; hiking, backpacking, camping, riding and fishing her way through the national parks. She was passionate about fly fishing in the Intermountain West, where she cast dry flies off boats on the Madison River, dropped nymphs into rippling brooks in the Gros Ventre range, or rode on horseback into the headwaters of the Yellowstone River in pursuit of teeming trout pools (always catch & release). She loved the great outdoors and shared that zeal with her children: Stevens Heckscher II (w. Oksana), Elizabeth Heckscher Tribolet (h. Perry), and Christopher Armitt Heckscher (w. Kathy), who in turn now share that enthusiasm for wilderness and adventure with their children. In addition to her children, Sarah is survived by six Heckscher grandchildren: Alex, Maggie, Will, Anya, Andrew and Martin, and her daughter Beth's child, Allie Tribolet. Sarah is survived by her first husband, Martin A. Heckscher, an attorney. Her second husband, the Rev. Charles A. Carter III, predeceased her, as did her sister, Nancy Fuller. Sarah's brothers, Russell G. Stevens and Henry M. Stevens, look forward to celebrating her memory in Philadelphia this weekend. Contributions in Sarah's memory should be sent to either the Sarah Heckscher Scholarship fund at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 500 W. Willow Grove Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19118 (c/o Jenny McHugh) or to St. Paul's Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19118.