Quiet legacy of strength: Sally Page, longtime community leader, UND administrator, dies at 75
Though she was born in the state of
Page came to
"She was a tremendous professional, in terms of knowing affirmative action law, the rules and regulations, and knowing how they applied to higher education," Johnson said, "but also in terms of the humanity in which she worked with people."
When remembering her sister, Nichols reflected on the planned eulogy to be delivered by
"Gordon said to me the other day, 'I never saw Sally socially but she was such a real human being and she cared so deeply about people,'" Nichols said, adding that the characterization was "something that I always knew."
"She had a way of always trying to give people options," Nichols said, "but she could play hardball, and she had to do that from time to time."
Personally, though, Nichols described her sister as a caring soul--a "pussycat," she said, who was generous with her time.
That giving was extended to some of the community's most vulnerable members.
When the sisters' mother--herself a resident of
There, she would read to her mother and other residents, sometimes bringing them recordings of the Lawrence Welk Show.
Those early visits started an involvement with the facility that lasted until the end.
That included special occasions as well as day-to-day concerns. When Page noticed that some residents received no gifts for Christmas, she set about to making their holiday a little more cheery. Under her advocacy, Valley Memorial staff began assembling wish lists for the residents in their care and, soon enough, gifts began appearing on
Page even established an endowment with the center--one of two she set up there--to keep the giving alive for many Christmases yet to come.
'She stood strong'
Valley Memorial wasn't the only place where Page volunteered her time. She was a lifelong supporter of the
Page was president of the nonprofit's board when the Flood of 1997 washed over Grand Forks, destroying much of its housing supply. Under Page's leadership, Hanson said
However, Hanson believes today that Page made the correct decision to move forward with building replacement stock after the flood.
"She stood strong, even with considerable criticism, and from community leaders, when she knew it was the right thing to do," Hanson said.
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