In the Beginning
Sarah Willard was born in Chicago IL in 1951, second child and daughter of Walter E and Winifred H Willard. I was named Sarah because my mother wanted to call me Sally, which she didn’t think was a proper first name11. From birth to age 5, my family (Walter, Winifred, Vicki and Winnie) lived in Chicago and Highland Park IL. In Chicago, we lived in an apartment on Lake Shore Drive.
The Formative Years
We moved to Grosse Pointe MI in 1956 and lived in an attached townhouse on Rivard Rd. Vicki and I attended Richard Elementary School for 1st grade and kindergarten, respectively. I have a distinct mental image of Vicki throwing a snowball at a police car as we walked home one winter afternoon. Oops.
In summer 1957 we moved to Bishop Rd, Grosse Pointe Park. This is the house and grounds as they look on Google maps: 
2 We moved to Bishop Rd shortly after my brother, Scott, was born.
I attended the Grosse Pointe schools from kindergarten through 10th grade:
- Maire Elementary School
- Pierce Middle School (was Jr. High, 7-9)
- Grosse Pointe High (now GP South High)
We walked to school, likely 95 percent of the time.
During my junior and senior high school days, I learned a few sports, playing field hockey and being a synchronized swimmer. I’ve always enjoyed swimming. It’s meditative.
For many years, we were members of the Detroit Boat Club, on Belle Isle. Based on the pictures accompanying some of the reviews, the building and ground have deteriorated over the last 60+ years. I spent much of my summers there, sailing on the Detroit River and as a member of the swim team.
Sometime in the mid 60’s my mother decided she didn’t like the boat club. We should all learn to ride horses. Perhaps we were not the accomplished swimmers she wanted. Perhaps it wasn’t social enough. Whatever the reason, we took horseback lessons (English, of course) and then joined the Grosse Pointe Hunt Club. This may be the Grosse Pointe Equestrian Facility now. The riding facility looks the same. No pool or tennis now. I always enjoyed riding, but really had NO interest in shows.
The Break and the Move
One evening during summer 1967, while at a neighbor’s house, there was an incident whose details I cannot completely remember. I left the pool and went to my dad and said, “I cannot live here anymore. I have to leave.”
The next morning I awoke, dressed and went downstairs. My parents had already made appointments for me to visit Emma Willard School and Northampton School for Girls. My mother and I set out by auto for Troy NY a couple of days later.
To be continued