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Jean C. Lane of Seattle, Washington, formerly of Sag Harbor, died on April 18. She was 93.
Born in Winnebago, Minnesota, on August 23, 1922, she was the daughter of Severn and Nellie (Curtis) Lane. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Mankato State University in Minnesota, and a master’s degree and a doctorate from Columbia University in New York. In 1986, she retired as professor of art and chair of the art department at New Jersey City University.
An activist in all communities in which she lived, while living in Sag Harbor from 1986 to 2002, she was president of Save the Peconic Bays, which successfully achieved national recognition for the Peconic Estuary system; a member of the Southampton Town Conservation Board; a member the South Fork Groundwater Task Force, the Coalition for Neighborhoods for the Preservation of Sag Harbor, and the Sag Harbor Village Planning board, serving as chair of its Harbor Committee.
Her work with the South Fork Groundwater Task Force earned her a Lifetime Achievement Award for Environmental Activism in 1988; and she received a citation from the New York State Assembly for her contributions to both the Groundwater Task Force and the Coalition for Neighborhoods for the Preservation of Sag Harbor in 2002. The Village of Sag Harbor awarded her a Distinguished Service Award in 2002.
Dr. Lane served on the board of the Cormaria Retreat House in Sag Harbor and was a member of numerous political action groups including the Women’s Equity Action League and the National Organization for Women.
Besides her academic career and her activism in the community, Dr. Lane was an accomplished artist with many gallery exhibitions of her work. The Baptist Peacemaker published her poem, “reflection,” in its January/March 2012 issue and the poem “1 Corinthians 13:1, ‘i’d rather die for love than hate’ ” in 2007.
A member of the American Baptist Church, she became active in her neighborhood church, the Broadview Community United Church of Christ in Seattle.
Dr. Lane is survived by a niece, Carol Buchholz and family of Seattle; and nephews, Steven Slaymaker, and Mark Slaymaker and family, all of Oregon.
A graveside memorial service will be held in Winnebago in late September at Riverside Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the Sierra Club, 85 Second Street, Second Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105; Emily’s List, 1800 M. Street N.W., Suite 375N, Washington, D.C. 20036 or a local charity of your choice.
on Aug 10, 2016