How pleased Sara would be to see that she continues to make an extraordinary impact and will for many years to come—in fact for many lifetimes—with the programs you are funding in her name.

My life was certainly impacted by Sara. Never had I met a woman of her generation that had defied the norms of her day and utilized design as a strategic initiative vs a pure aesthetic. From Pyrex to makeup, she created a new category of design for better living. She was fearless and forever

Peggy Burke

Principal, 1185 Design

When I first met Sarah at Stanford, nearly two decades ago, she invited me to meet her students, mostly males, who hung on to every word of this tiny, lively, powerful woman.

[At] a Metropolis conference…she came up to me…and said, ‘My Dear, you’re like Picasso—you throw your colors up on a canvas, and at the end the composition makes sense.’ Her words still resonate, reminding me of this generous, original, and supportive woman—the kind of person I strive to be.

Susan S. Szenasy

Director of Design Innovation and former Editor in Chief, Metropolis

Sara attended our Consumer Products meetings at Corning about once a month. She was always prepared with insightful presentations that brought the needs and wants of the American Homemaker into our consciousness. We also met with her for retail visits and at trade shows where we discussed products and our competition.

Sara had the ear of our market managers, all the way to Lee Waterman, Vice President of the Consumer Products Division of Corning Glass Works, who initially spearheaded the development of the Corning Ware line. Knowing her experience as editor of House Beautiful magazine, Lee hired Sara to help Corning understand the American homemaker.

She provided a dimension of knowledge and encouragement that was key in understanding the trends effecting consumer needs related to the products we were designing, developing and marketing. Sara was key to the success of important product lines such as Corning Ware, special lines of Pyrex Ware, Centura Tableware, and Corelle.

Sara guided us to provide the consumer with simple vessels that could be used for food preparation, serving, and storage. Vessels made from Corning Ware, for example, could go from the stovetop, broiler, or oven to the table, then, to the fridge or freezer, and then, to the microwave and back to the table. The versatility of these round-trip vessels saved time, space, and energy.

Over the years, all that Sara predicted has happened in spades. All that she espoused is as relevant today as it was then.

Herb Dann

Manager of Tableware Product Development; Consumer Products Design Manager,

Corning Glass Works. (now Corning Inc.)

I learned almost everything I know about marketing from Sara. She understood the cues that made people raise their eyebrows and smile.”

My first job after graduating from Pratt was Head of Exhibit Design at Corning. Sara was consulting with Corning’s consumer products division and she took me under her wing. We visited the housewares shows in Chicago together to analyze the displays. Sara understood how to merchandize and market consumer products. She knew how to make a marketing manager’s “price special” sing quality with all sorts of advantages that made a dining table virbrant or a kitchen’s aroma say nutritious.

Sara worked with Stanley Marcus in the 1960s to produce the outlandish offerings in the Neiman Marcus catalogues — a week on the most exotic islands in the South Pacific, round-the-world ultra first class cruises or flights with landings and accommodations at the out-of-the-way destinations unheard of then.

She made the latest oddity of a food chemist’s laboratory into a new main stay product that a young housewife could rely on to transform an ordinary salad into a featured main course, or a new product added to a child’s lunch box.

Sara knew how to catch the public’s imagination. She turned around mine.

Louis Nelson

Designer, Strategist