Sally Ann Freedman
Encyclopedia
Sally Ann Freedman is a former beauty queen
, professional model
, and band vocalist. As Miss Massachusetts USA
, she competed in the Miss Universe
contest held in Long Beach, California
in 1958. Her previous titles included Miss Essex County 1955, Miss Sea Nymph 1956, Miss Hampton Beach 1957, and Miss New England Ballroom 1958. In 1961, she was the talent winner and one of the five finalists in the Miss Sun Fun USA pageant held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
.
. With the school’s professional troupe she performed for several years throughout the North Shore
. After graduating from the Academie Moderne in Boston, a finishing school founded by Mildred Albert, she began a modeling career. She joined the Hart Model Agency in Boston
and worked as a fashion and photography model throughout college.
Her career as a vocalist carried her throughout New England
. She sang with orchestras led by Bob Batchelder, Ted Herbert, and Earle Harris. They played at popular ballrooms of the day including the Totem Pole Ballroom in Norumbega Park
, Auburndale; Commodore Ballroom in Lowell, Massachusetts
; Carousel Ballroom in Manchester, New Hampshire
; Rockingham Ballroom in Newmarket, New Hampshire
; Canobie Lake Ballroom in Salem, New Hampshire
; and Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
. In December 1959, she performed with the Earle Harris Orchestra at the Oceanview Ballroom in Revere Beach
, Massachusetts. They were the last band to play the popular establishment before it was destroyed by fire. Freedman also performed throughout the Greater Boston area with the Harry Marshard Society Orchestra.
While pursuing graduate studies in Washington, D.C.
, Freedman continued her career in singing. With orchestras and her own small combo, the Commanders, she performed at country clubs as well as civic, military, and social galas. The venues included the Sheraton-Park, Shoreham, Statler-Hilton, and Mayflower Hotel
.
. Upon graduation from Peabody High School, she attended Merrimack College
in North Andover, Massachusetts
, majoring in sociology
. She graduated magna cum laude and valedictorian
and went on to pursue graduate studies in sociology for two years at The Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C. She then became a teacher and left behind her singing career. “I love music,” she [told a reporter], "but when I turned to teaching I sort of found myself entering another stage of my life. Somehow, I didn’t think that teaching and entertaining were compatible. By today’s standards, I suppose that no one would think anything of the combination."
Freedman taught at Peabody High School, Mount Wachusett Community College
in Gardner, Massachusetts
, and North Shore Community College
in Beverly, Massachusetts
. In 1968, she married Eugene F. Connolly, who served for many years as Professor and Professor Emeritus at Northern Essex Community College
in Haverhill, Massachusetts
. They settled in Danvers, Massachusetts
, where they raised their four children: a son and three daughters. After earning a master's degree in Guidance and Counseling from Salem State College
in 1980, she worked at North Shore Technical High School
in Middleton, Massachusetts
for twenty-one years as a guidance counselor. Since 1995, she has served as editor of the Counselor's Notebook, the monthly publication of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.
After the death of her husband of thirty-seven years, Freedman found solace in creating a literary scrapbook of her husband's writings. Her husband had written: "One of the peculiarities of death is that it can stop the breath, but it cannot still the voice of one we love." She captured that voice in her self-published book and helped to perpetuate his legacy. In the process, Freedman discovered a new creative outlet: writing. She continued to pen articles about health, education, and lifestyle issues, and she became a regular contributor to her community newspaper, The Danvers Herald. Her columns are now syndicated nationally through Senior Wire News Service. Her books include:
Beauty Queen
"Beauty Queen" is the second song from Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure. The lyrics refer to Ferry's girlfriend, Valerie Leon, one-time UK beauty queen, B-movie actress and model working in the Newcastle area, circa 1973.-Musicians:...
, professional model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, and band vocalist. As Miss Massachusetts USA
Miss Massachusetts USA
The Miss Massachusetts USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss USA pageant....
, she competed in the Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
contest held in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1958. Her previous titles included Miss Essex County 1955, Miss Sea Nymph 1956, Miss Hampton Beach 1957, and Miss New England Ballroom 1958. In 1961, she was the talent winner and one of the five finalists in the Miss Sun Fun USA pageant held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...
.
Early life
During her early years, Freedman trained as a dancer at the Alice P. Duffee Dance Studio in Salem, MassachusettsSalem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
. With the school’s professional troupe she performed for several years throughout the North Shore
North Shore (Massachusetts)
The North Shore is a region in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, loosely defined as the coastal area between Boston and New Hampshire. The region is made up both of a rocky coastline, dotted with marshes and wetlands, as well as several beaches and natural harbors. The North Shore is an important...
. After graduating from the Academie Moderne in Boston, a finishing school founded by Mildred Albert, she began a modeling career. She joined the Hart Model Agency in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and worked as a fashion and photography model throughout college.
Her career as a vocalist carried her throughout New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. She sang with orchestras led by Bob Batchelder, Ted Herbert, and Earle Harris. They played at popular ballrooms of the day including the Totem Pole Ballroom in Norumbega Park
Norumbega Park
Norumbega Park was a recreation area and amusement park located in "Auburndale-on-the-Charles" near Boston, Massachusetts. The associated Totem Pole Ballroom became a well-known dancing and entertainment venue for big bands touring during the 1940s....
, Auburndale; Commodore Ballroom in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
; Carousel Ballroom in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
; Rockingham Ballroom in Newmarket, New Hampshire
Newmarket, New Hampshire
Newmarket is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,936 at the 2010 census. Some residents are students and employees at the nearby University of New Hampshire in Durham....
; Canobie Lake Ballroom in Salem, New Hampshire
Salem, New Hampshire
Salem is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 28,776 at the 2010 census. Salem is a marketing and distributing center north of Boston, with a major amusement attraction, Canobie Lake Park, and a large shopping mall, the Mall at Rockingham Park.- History :The...
; and Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Opened in 1899, the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom is a seasonal live music and comedy venue located on the boardwalk of Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. The venue is open from April to November, and within those eight months schedules upwards of 70 shows...
in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
Hampton Beach is a village district, census-designated place, and beach resort within the town of Hampton, in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located on the Atlantic Ocean. Its population at the 2010 census was 2,275. Hampton Beach is located in Rockingham County, approximately south of Portsmouth...
. In December 1959, she performed with the Earle Harris Orchestra at the Oceanview Ballroom in Revere Beach
Revere Beach
Revere Beach is a public beach in Revere, Massachusetts. Located about 4 miles north of downtown Boston, the beach, founded in 1895, is the first public beach in the country. In the past, it was known as the Coney Island of New England...
, Massachusetts. They were the last band to play the popular establishment before it was destroyed by fire. Freedman also performed throughout the Greater Boston area with the Harry Marshard Society Orchestra.
While pursuing graduate studies in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Freedman continued her career in singing. With orchestras and her own small combo, the Commanders, she performed at country clubs as well as civic, military, and social galas. The venues included the Sheraton-Park, Shoreham, Statler-Hilton, and Mayflower Hotel
Mayflower Hotel
The Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, known locally as simply The Mayflower, is a historic hotel in downtown Washington, DC located on Connecticut Avenue NW, two blocks north of Farragut Square . It is the largest luxury hotel in the U.S. capital and the longest continuously operating hotel in the...
.
Personal life
Freedman was raised in Peabody, MassachusettsPeabody, Massachusetts
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population is about 53,000. Peabody is located in Boston's North Shore suburban area.- History :...
. Upon graduation from Peabody High School, she attended Merrimack College
Merrimack College
Merrimack College is an independent college in the Roman Catholic, Augustinian tradition located in North Andover, Massachusetts, north of Boston, Massachusetts. It offers undergraduate degrees in business, education, science, engineering, and the liberal arts...
in North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. North Andover is the home of Merrimack College, a private, Catholic four-year institution ....
, majoring in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. She graduated magna cum laude and valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
and went on to pursue graduate studies in sociology for two years at The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in Washington, D.C. She then became a teacher and left behind her singing career. “I love music,” she [told a reporter], "but when I turned to teaching I sort of found myself entering another stage of my life. Somehow, I didn’t think that teaching and entertaining were compatible. By today’s standards, I suppose that no one would think anything of the combination."
Freedman taught at Peabody High School, Mount Wachusett Community College
Mount Wachusett Community College
Mount Wachusett Community College is a two-year community college in Gardner, Massachusetts. It offers associate degrees as well as a transfer program for students to earn credits for transfer to other colleges...
in Gardner, Massachusetts
Gardner, Massachusetts
Gardner, Massachusetts is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,228 as of the 2010 census. Gardner is home to Dunn State Park, Gardner Heritage State Park, Lake Wampanoag Wildlife Sanctuary, and Mount Wachusett Community College.-History:Named in honor of...
, and North Shore Community College
North Shore Community College
North Shore Community College is a two-year community college in Danvers and Lynn Massachusetts. It offers associate degrees as well as a transfer program for students to earn credits for transfer to other colleges...
in Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,343 on , which differs by no more than several hundred from the 39,862 obtained in the 2000 census. A resort, residential and manufacturing community on the North Shore, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides...
. In 1968, she married Eugene F. Connolly, who served for many years as Professor and Professor Emeritus at Northern Essex Community College
Northern Essex Community College
Northern Essex Community College is a state-assisted, two-year college, located in Essex County in northeastern Massachusetts...
in Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
. They settled in Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials, and for its famous asylum, the Danvers State Hospital.-17th century:The land...
, where they raised their four children: a son and three daughters. After earning a master's degree in Guidance and Counseling from Salem State College
Salem State College
Salem State University is a four-year public institution of higher learning located in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem State University, established in 1854 as Salem Normal School, is located approximately fifteen miles north of Boston, Massachusetts. Salem State enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and...
in 1980, she worked at North Shore Technical High School
North Shore Technical High School
North Shore Technical High School is a public application-type high school located in the city of Middleton in the U.S. state of Massachusetts under the North Shore Regional Vocational School District. It currently serves ninth through twelfth grade students from 16 communities all on the North Shore...
in Middleton, Massachusetts
Middleton, Massachusetts
Middleton is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,987 at the 2010 census.- History :Middleton was first settled in 1659 and was officially incorporated in 1728. Prior to 1728 it was considered a part of Salem, and contains territory previously within the...
for twenty-one years as a guidance counselor. Since 1995, she has served as editor of the Counselor's Notebook, the monthly publication of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.
After the death of her husband of thirty-seven years, Freedman found solace in creating a literary scrapbook of her husband's writings. Her husband had written: "One of the peculiarities of death is that it can stop the breath, but it cannot still the voice of one we love." She captured that voice in her self-published book and helped to perpetuate his legacy. In the process, Freedman discovered a new creative outlet: writing. She continued to pen articles about health, education, and lifestyle issues, and she became a regular contributor to her community newspaper, The Danvers Herald. Her columns are now syndicated nationally through Senior Wire News Service. Her books include:
- A Boy from Lawrence: The Collected Works of Eugene F. Connolly (2005)
- Never Better: All Things Considered (2007)
- Matters on My Mind: MOMM (2011)
External links
- Author's personal website
- "1950s Beauty Pageant Judging Guidelines". (July 22, 2009). Sociological Images. http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/07/22/1950s-beauty-pageant-judging-guidelines/
- "Casino Ballroom: Hampton Beach Since 1899". http://www.casinoballroom.com/history.php.
- Dempsey, Ernest (May 2008). "Author Interview: Sally A. Connolly on Never Better". Audience Buzz. Issue 7. http://www.worldaudience.org/pubs_bks/Buzz7.pdf
- Halberstam, David. The Fifties. Villard Books, 1993. http://www.amazon.com/Fifties-David-Halberstam/dp/0517156075
- Hentoff, Nat (February 3, 2010). "Keeping the Big-Band Sound Alive". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703481004574646374181099200.html
- Jacobs, Pat. "Easy Listening, MOR, or 'Grown-Up Music' (Zzzzz...)". http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Q2qspuoRqtEJ:www.loti.com/sixties_music/Easy_Listening.htm+ballroom+easy+listening+musicians+1950s&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
- " 'Miss Hampton Beach' Pageant 50th Anniversary Programme, Chapter 3". (January 1, 2004). Lane Memorial Library. http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/recreation/pageant/pageant_3.htm.
- Springer, Anne (March 14, 2007). "Dancing down memory lane for SeniorCare anniversary". GloucesterTimes.com. http://www.gloucestertimes.com/lifestyle/x645262314/Dancing-down-memory-lane-for-SeniorCare-anniversary/print.
- Watson, Watson and Darcy Martin, Eds. There She is, Miss America: The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America’s Most Famous Pageant. NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. http://www.amazon.com/There-She-Miss-America-Politics/dp/1403963029