Funeral Details

Sandy and I were close friends since 1975. We shared so many experiences together--the same program in graduate school; a fascination with things Russian, East European, Jewish, and Medieval; apartments in Bloomington, Indiana; attending professional conferences;vacationing together; celebrating holidays; and cooking meals. More than that, I trusted her with confidences I could not share with anyone else--sorrows, disappointments, anxieties, and also good fortune--knowing that she would respond always with caring and good sense. My life has been enriched in so many ways. I will cherish Sandy's memory always.

Eve Levin

Sandy was a close friend of my sister Eve Levin, and became part of our family circle: honorary aunt to my kids, Seder and Thanksgiving guest. I will miss her wisdom and kindness.

Margaret Phillips

I am deeply sorry to hear about Sandy’s passing. She and I were very close friends during high school at Mather, and our group used to hang out on Devon on Saturdays every chance we had! She was very much into Russian studies, and we had a standing joke from the movie “The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming” when Alan Arlin would announce “Emergency, everybody to get from street!” I wish we had remained close. May her memory be for a blessing.

Cindy Brenner Plotzker

I'm so sorry to learn of Sandy's passing. Her career and mine as Slavic librarians coincided almost exactly. I enjoyed working with her over the years, and we shared good times at meetings of the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies. (I worked as a student assistant for the Slavic collection at the University of Chicago Library 1972-1985 during my graduate studies, working with Sandy's predecessor, Halyna Pankiw. After graduation I became Slavic Bibliographer at the University of Pittsburgh Library 1985-2000, then Curator for Slavic & East European Collections at Stanford University Libraries 2001-2016.) I cherish her memory.

Karen Rondestvedt

Sandy and I were graduate students together at Indiana University. I remember her fondly. We would sit together in the Library cafeteria drinking coffee, discussing our classes and life in general. I remember helping her and Eve Levin move into their apartment. Sandy was a warm and wonderful person.

Paul Vivian

It was with great sorrow that I learned of Sandra's death. I was a colleague of Sandra at the Joseph Regenstein Library, where she worked for so many years -- she as a Slavic subject specialist and I as a cataloger specializing in (Western) Slavic. To my mind, Sandra was one of the nicest and kindest people to ever grace the Regenstein -- always affable and cheerful, she lit up every room she entered with her luminous smile. She was an intrepid driver and, for several years, drove me and other Slavic librarians from our library to Champaign-Urbana for the Summer Slavic Librarian Workshop there. Sandra was also a sterling conversationalist and one always learned from her something new about the things she loved -- her family, the city of Chicago, the historic US Route 66, science fiction literature and conventions, and, yes, Russian history and Slavistics. It is sad to think that we shall not meet again in this world. And yet, I take comfort that her memory is a blessing for all of us who knew her.

Thomas Dousa

Harvey and I are so sorry not to be with you today, but we are thinking of Sandra and her family, and feeling sad. We knew this was coming soon, but it's still a shock. I will miss her so much, We have a long history together, and a happy one. I will say Kaddish for her.

Best wishes, Marianna

Marianna Tax Choldin

My deepest condolences to Sandra's family. I am a longstanding colleague of Sandra in Slavic and East European librarianship. Sandra was a major force in the world of Slavic librarianship and a friend to everyone. She mentored and helped many new librarians, kept our professional communications going, and contributed in many ways to the collective wisdom and the practices that continue to guide our work. Sandra always - always - had a smile on her face, even when things started getting difficult with her illness. I last saw her in 2019 at the ASEEES conference in San Francisco. She was struggling but determined to continue contributing to the field. We will remember Sandra as a wonderful colleague and a positive force among us. We will miss her greatly.

Janice Pilch

Sandy was our 'con' friend. We worked the information desk at one of the World Cons. She was a wonderful person. We will miss her.
Suzan Spitzberg and John Hauwiller

suzan spitzberg

I'm terribly saddened to hear of Sandra's passing. I'm a bit shocked, since she seemed in a good state the last time I saw her. I was worried when I wasn't getting responses to my emails asking to come visit. Sandra was a wonderful person. We went to plays together after she retired, and when it wasn't feasible to travel we went to lunch. She was a good person. I will miss her.

Maura Byrne

A fine colleague for many years. May her memory be for a blessing.

Stephen Corrsin

I send my deepest and sincerest condolences to Sandy's family. I overlapped with Sandy in graduate school at Indiana and remember her fondly as a kind, gentle, perceptive, and accomplished person with a ready smile and radiant smile. Over the years, I saw her at academic conferences and therefore know that she had a rewarding career and was of service to so many in the profession. I was not aware of her debilitating illness and would not have known of her passing if her dear friend Eve Levin had not posted a message on Facebook. The news saddened me greatly and I'm so sorry that she was stricken with ALS. I was not surprised to hear that she was courageous to the end. That's simply who she was.

Donald Raleigh

Sandy was a wonderful friend and library colleague, kind, helpful, always upbeat, very knowledgeable about all kinds of subject areas and lived life with enthusiasm. She was so very brave during her difficult illness and such a courageous person. In remembering all the fun things we did outside of work I realized how grateful I was to be her friend. We went to many live concerts from folk to blues at buddy guys, to rolling stones at soldier field. We went on two trips on Route 66 and she was a great driver. She loved to drive and she called me the day she bought her new red car and we went along the lakeshore. She previously drove her father bright yellow mustang . She loved bright colors. I met her father and enjoyed his company. She was a very devoted daughter. We went to numerous white Sox and bulls games, taste of Chicago, Hamilton play. She knew Chicago backward and forward and loved Chicago history. I learned a lot from her. I will miss her a lot. Her Jewish funeral service which I watched on YouTube was very moving. Thank you for covering this on YouTube.



Beverly Sperring