By George Whiteley

It is with great sadness that my wife Sue and I learned of the passing of Sally Anyan today. We met Sally through the Daguerreian Society and she was instantly likable. Her equal passions for early photography – especially daguerreian jewelry – and classical music were infectious to all who knew her. She always wore a smile and was ready to help with whatever needed to be done for the Society, especially with organizing our annual Symposiums. She was good at it too, and between her and Diane Filippi, they got things rolling! 

Sally Anyan shows a daguerreotype at the 2014 Daguerreian Society Symposium in Austin, Texas. 

Sally and I became good friends when she was vice president (2009-2013) and later president (2013) and chair (2014) of the Daguerreian Society. She was instrumental in getting me involved with the Symposium when it was held in Atlanta in 2010, and in my becoming a board member at that time. She worked tirelessly to get things accomplished and was always pleasant when doing so. She was a joy to work with while on the board. 

I had several occasions to visit with Sally and Richard Titus at their home in Maryland. On one of those visits, I discovered that we both were living only a couple of miles apart in Erlangen, Germany at the same time during the late 1960s. She was a teacher, and I was in the military at that time. Regrettably, we never met there but subsequently shared our adventures. 

Along with being a fellow Daguerreian Society officer and friend, Sally was an astute collector who continually purchased select images and pieces of photographic jewelry from me and Sue. We were always thrilled to have her be the next steward of things we loved, and I don't know who was more excited about those transactions between us. Sally had a good eye! 

It was truly unfortunate that Sally suffered a series of strokes that were life-changing. When we last visited her, she could speak very little, but we could tell by the twinkles in her eyes that she knew who we were and seemed at peace. Sally will be missed by all who took the time to know her. She was a credit to the Daguerreian Society with her enthusiasm, energy and professionalism. 

For more on Sally's life, see her obituary. 
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George Whiteley is a current and founding member of The Daguerreian Society.