Sarah Logan Wister Starr - Service To The Community

Service To The Community

Throughout her life, Sarah Logan Wister Starr maintained a life dedicated to service of her country and humanity. From 1921-1941, Sarah served as President of the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. She was the President of the Colonial Dames for many years, as well as President of the Women’s Permanent Emergency Association of Germantown, which was founded over 60 years earlier by her grandmother, and revived during World War II.

She gained honorary degrees from both Ursinus College in 1933 and the University of Pennsylvania in 1941.

She was an Associate Trustee of the Board of Libraries at Penn. She founded the Zoe Valley Library at Chester in Nova Scotia, where her family had summered since 1874.

She also served as the State Vice-Chairman of the World-War-One-era National League for Woman's Services, as well as the chairman of the Germantown Branch. Her efforts gained over 2 million dollars for the relief of Belgian children. She was also chosen to become the chairman of the Women’s Committee of the Liberty Loan for the Federal Reserve District. As president of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, she set up a $300,000 Wister Fund in honor of her parents. This fund was used for the erection of new buildings on the site purchased in 1953 at Falls of Schuylkill by the College.

With Frances Anne Wister and her cousin Anne Wister, she helped produce a magazine called "The Sparrow." In June 1917, Mrs. James Starr, chairman of the Germantown women’s committee, led the first loan parade for the Liberty Loan campaign, where several hundred women marched from the Woman’s Club of Germantown to the grounds of the Germantown Academy. For the first time, women had charge of booths on the streets where loan subscriptions were received. In 1937 she was an emissary of Pennsylvania Tercentenary Commission of Sweden and was later honored there by the King.

Along with all of these high-ranking positions, Sarah was also a former Chairman of the Germantown Branch of the Civic Club, and belonged to the Acron Club, the Print Club, Sedgely Club, Germantown Historical Society, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Assembly, Athenaeum Society, Fountain Society and the Society for the Preservation of Landmarks.