Perhaps you’ve driven along Hawkes Avenue to the very outskirts of the Town and noticed this sign for the Sally Swope Sitting Park:

Who, you might then wonder, is Sally Swope? And why does she have a park named after her?

Well, she is most definitely one of those women who very quietly Got Things Done.  In fact, one person interviewed commented that she was “practically allergic to being recognized for her good deeds.”

But from the 1970s until her death in 1999, Sally was a discreet force as a philanthropist and board member for, among other organizations, the Ossining Children’s Center, Westchester Community College, the Scarborough (and later Clearview) School, and Teatown Lake Reservation.

From those I’ve spoken to, she was curious, interested in people, and approachable.  “Cultured”, “upper crust”, and “strong-willed” are also words that come up often in connection with her.

Sarah Porter Hunsaker was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in October 1912. 

She attended the exclusive Miss Porter’s School (Miss Porter was a great-aunt of hers) and go on to study at Sarah Lawrence and Radcliffe Colleges. After college, she traveled the world and came home to work at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.  

In 1937, she married David Swope, a son of General Electric president Gerard Swope (and brother to the astronomer Henrietta Hill Swope.) While Sally stayed close to home in those early years as she raised her son David, Jr., and daughter Dorry, she was still active in the social sphere of Ossining.

Gradually she began extending her reach, focusing on charities that spoke to her interests – primarily children, education, and the environment.  She was especially dedicated to the idea that childcare should be more than babysitting – a policy that had just been enacted at the Federal level through the Head Start programs of the 1960s.  And she wanted to make sure that the Ossining’s Children’s Center was as diverse as Ossining, believing that to change society, one had to start with the youngest and most vulnerable.

She would join boards, fundraise, and be a hands-on presence.  She did whatever she felt needed to be done: answering phones at the Ossining Children’s Center on occasion, serving ice pops to OCC kids who were regularly bussed across town to swim in her pool high atop Hawkes Avenue, and strategizing about the best ways to approach people for donations.

Her motto seemed to be “If you want it badly enough, you can make it happen.”  And indeed, in no small part due to her contributions, the organizations with which she was involved flourished and continue to thrive decades later.

Her work extended far beyond just writing checks and attending galas – she served on boards and led committees, organizing, encouraging, and motivating her fellow volunteers.  She regularly opened her house and gardens to children from the various groups in which she was involved.  

And at her death, she was learning Italian.  Always seeking, always learning . . .

In 2002, son David Swope, Jr., donated a parcel of land to the Town of Ossining in memory of his mother. Renovated and updated in 2024, the Sally Swope Sitting Park provides open space and meditative trails. Like its namesake, the park is a hidden gem in the midst of Ossining.