Tribute: Sally Lehr 65N 76MSN

Devoted alumna and Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing Professor Sally Lehr 65N 76MSN died May 17. 

Lehr, who joined the Emory faculty in 1976, taught mental health and human sexuality to thousands of students during her more than forty years of service. She was known for employing innovative teaching techniques in the classroom to enhance student learning, and her genuine caring and gift for connecting with people made her a trusted colleague, mentor, and friend to many faculty, students, and staff. 

Lehr was a founding member of the Emory Sigma Theta Tau International nursing honor society, and served as president and graduate/nurse leader counselor of the organization. She helped to reorganize the Nurses Alumni Association Board for the School of Nursing in the mid-1970s and served four terms as board president. Lehr also served a three-year term on the Emory Alumni Association Board of Governors and was a member of the Alumni Board President’s Club. 

Lehr was a Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Sexologists and served on the Certification Committee for Sexuality Educators for the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. She was also a manuscript reviewer for mental health and sexuality texts. She received the 2007–2008 Jean Thomas Award for Creativity in Teaching from the Alpha Epsilon chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International nursing honor society. In 2009, she received the Emory Alumni Association’s J. Pollard Turman Alumni Service Award, the university’s highest honor for alumni service. She also received a 2012 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award in the education category. 

“For more than sixty years, Dr. Lehr was the heart of our school, representing the highest levels of leadership, compassion, service, and integrity, which we all aspire to live by in our daily lives,” says Linda McCauley, dean of the School of Nursing.