Awards

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2007

About Sally Reahard

Sally Reahard was born in Dayton, Ohio, the daughter of Ralph and Bessie Reahard. Her father, Ralph Reahard, graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1905 with Eli Lilly. In 1906, he took a position with the Eli Lilly Company and quickly worked his way up to Plant Superintendent and Vice President of Production, a post he held until his retirement in 1948. Ms. Reahard inherited Lilly company stock from her father and used the income to support causes with contributions totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Through her numerous gifts to charities in Indiana, Leland, Michigan, and Charleston, South Carolina, she played a major role in land conservation, the restoration and preservation of historic buildings, and improving local infrastructure for providing community services to individuals.

Miss Reahard graduated from Tudor Hall School for Girls and attended Sweetbriar College. While at Sweetbriar College, she became interested in the City of Charleston, South Carolina, through visits to a classmate, Charlotte Dent Pinkney. This friendship led to numerous gifts for the restoration and preservation of Charleston houses. Her major project in Charleston was Drayton Hall.

In 2001, Sally Reahard was named the Indiana hero of the Year by the National Nature Conservancy. In making this award, the Nature Conservancy said of Miss Reahard: "Since 1982, she has funded over 19% of the acreage the Indiana Chapter of the Nature Conservancy has acquired and over one quarter of the Indiana Natural Heritage Protection Campaign Acres since that program began in 1991. Sally Reahard's love for the natural heritage of Indiana and her generosity have enabled the Indiana Chapter to acquire nearly 7500 acres of forest, wetlands, prairies and savannas. She also supported the Conservancy's ACE basin project in South Carolina and the Center for Compatible Economic Development."

She was an accomplished watercolor painter and a collector of rare books. During her lifetime she made major gifts of her books to Indiana University and Butler University. In 1995, she gave her collection of first editions of Gene Stratton Porter works to the Indiana Historical Society.

During World War II, she was the director of Rationing for Marion County and worked daily from an office in the basement of the World War Memorial without pay. She was a member of the Woodstock Club, the Indianapolis Junior League and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. In 1997, she gave a full-length portrait of Louisa Fletcher Tarkington to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which now hangs in its American Gallery.

In her will, Ms. Reahard's provided generous bequests to organizations she had supported during her life. Her bequest to Indiana University endowed the directorship of the IU School of Nursing's Center for Enhancing Quality of Life in Chronic Illness (CEQL). She also endowed scholarships for nursing undergraduate students on the IUPUI campus.