SARAH HOLLAND

HOLLAND--Sarah Lawrence. Sarah Lawrence Holland, activist, feminist, philanthropist and distance swimmer, died quietly at home after a brief illness on March 31, 2019. A lifetime supporter of the arts, advocate for women, and champion of equality in the workplace, Sarah sought to level every uneven playing field. She touched many lives in many ways. Born in 1942 in NYC to Robert Chisholm Holland and Pattee Lawrence Holland, of Crowley Louisiana, Sarah and her four siblings grew up in Chappaqua, NY where she graduated Horace Greeley High in 1960. She attended Hollins College ('64), in Roanoke, Virginia. The highlight of her education was a year in Paris at the Sorbonne where she earned a Diploma of Studies in French Civilization, with a "Tres Bien" mention. She travelled widely in Europe and helped establish "Greek Summer" for the American Farm School (1970-73) in Thessaloniki. Whether theatre, opera, art openings or fund-raising events -- her social calendar was always full. She worked at Lincoln Center where she was instrumental in the development, creation and production of the launch of Live from Lincoln Center; and later at Franklin Furnace. At Catalyst, as Vice-President of Corporate Relations, she helped create work places that "worked for women," fighting gender bias and creating systems for corporations to do the same. She established the Visibility Project (1999), doing for the LGBTQ community what she had practiced and perfected at Catalyst. With her elegant sophisticated demeanor and eloquent wit, she helped redefine corporate culture to embrace diversity in the workplace. In her last decade, Sarah created Careerfix (2005), and used her vast experience to coach organizations and individuals on creating effective strategies to achieve work/life fulfillment. Sarah married Lauree Feldman in 2011. Among the activities they shared in their life together was distance swimming; they logged more than 500 miles in their 16 summers together. They travelled extensively, loved their dogs Ames and then Aly, gardened and supported numerous charities. The couple have homes in Manhattan, New Paltz and Westport, NY. A tireless volunteer, Sarah was committed to recovery, political activism, nature conservation, animal rescue and education, as is reflected in her philanthropy. No institution was more important to Sarah than Hollins. Since 2017 she served as President of the Alumnae Board and a member of the Board of Trustees. Recently, she supported a major capital project on campus, funding the Sarah L. Holland '64 Common Room for Uncommon Women! Additional volunteer Board service included the Association of Fundraising Professionals, NY Women's Agenda, Mountain Hermitage, Women in Development, Stonewall Community Foundation, NYC Anti-Violence Project and Zen Studies Society. Despite her sophistication, there wasn't a small town parade or county fair that didn't thrill her; and no summer was complete without a demolition derby and a 4-H milkshake. Sarah Holland is survived by her spouse Lauree Feldman and siblings William Lawrence Holland, Max Caverly Holland and Bliss Caverly Holland. She is pre-deceased by her father, her mother, and her brother Robert Chisholm Holland, Jr. Services will be held on Monday, April 8 at 4:30pm at First Presbyterian Church, 12 West 12th Street (entrance on Fifth Avenue), New York, NY followed by a reception. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Sarah's memory may be made to the Adirondack Council www.adirondackcouncil.org and the North Country SPCA www.ncspca.org -- both in Elizabethtown, NY.