Many dedicated educators give so much, not only to their students in the classroom, but also to their communities. One of these is Sally W. Morris, a middle school teacher from Redlands, California, who was a tireless volunteer in many areas of her community.
Sally Wieschendorff was born on April 23, 1939, in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in Appleton, Wisconsin. In 1949, her family relocated to Los Angeles, California, and they settled in San Marino. In 1957, Sally completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree from University of Redlands with a double major in Education and Political Science.
In 1961, Sally married Pat Morris and the couple moved to Stanford. Sally inaugurated her career as an educator in the nearby town of San Carlos. By 1964, the couple returned to San Bernardino County, and Sally accepted a position as a middle school teacher. In addition to her work in the classroom, Sally organized, trained, and supervised volunteers for the Students in the Courthouse program that brought students to the Central Courthouse to learn about our nation’s legal and justice system. She was also instrumental in the founding of the Community Arts Productions, and she served as a docent for the San Bernardino Symphony’s Music in the Schools program. And, as if all this were not enough, Sally served as the President of the University of Redlands Alumni Association.
For many decades, Sally also made significant contributions to her community. She co-founded a nonprofit organization to assure children and youth confined to Juvenile hall would be able to celebrate birthdays, holidays, and graduations. She made weekly deliveries of surplus food from Inland Harvest to feed the hungry at both the Salvation Army and the Frazee Community Center. She also organized a group of volunteers from First Presbyterian Church of San Bernardino to collect, pack, and distribute care packages filled with groceries to needy families in her area. And in 1990, after working with former President Jimmy Carter on a Habitat for Humanity project in Tijuana, Sally co-founded the San Bernardino Area Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
And all of this only scratches the surface of this remarkable educator’s accomplishments. Sadly, she passed away on June 11, 2021. She was 82 years old. To read more about her, see the obituary published by Legacy.