Meet Sarah Whiting: Historical Lecture and Performance | Woodward Memorial Library

The Woodward Memorial Library presents, “She Dared to Reach For the Stars” a display and a presentation about Sarah Whiting of LeRoy, NY who witnessed the 1868 Total Solar Eclipse as it passed over Genesee County. 

Sarah’s family was from Wyoming, New York, and her father was a professor at Ingham University in LeRoy, the country's first University for women.  Sarah also taught at Ingham and then founded the physics department at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.  She also was the founder of the Whitten Observatory at Wellesley.  Sarah was given an honorary doctorate degree from Tufts University.  One of her students from Wellesley was Anne Jump Cannon, the famous astronomer from Harvard, who developed the method of categorizing stars which is still in use today.  Cannon attributed her success to her teacher, Sarah Whiting. 

The exhibit will feature some of the equipment that Sarah might have used to teach astronomy and her doctoral robes from Tufts University. 

On March 9th at 11am:

The presentation and lecture, written by Lynne Belluscio, LeRoy Municipal Historian, will allow guests to meet and talk with Sarah and her father, and perhaps Annie Jump Canon will make an appearance. 

• Please call to register in advance for these two dates.

The Woodward Memorial Library is located on Wolcott Street in LeRoy, on the former Ingham University Campus.  Sarah Whiting died in 1927 and is buried in Machpelah Cemetery in LeRoy.  Sarah's gravestone is engraved with the Greek letters, alpha and omega – the “beginning” and “the end.”