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Sally Snowman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
U.S. Coast Guard photo of Snowman (2016)

Sally Snowman (aged 72 as of December 30, 2023, her retirement date) was the last keeper of the Boston Light a lighthouse in Boston Harbor on Little Brewster Island. As of December 30, 2023, Snowman has retired and is expected to be the last official lighthouse keeper ever in the U.S.[1]

Personal life and career

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Snowman has lived near Boston Harbor since she was a child and first visited Little Brewster Island at age 10.[2] She was married there to Jay Thompson in 1994 and they live in Weymouth, Massachusetts when not staying at the light.[3]

She earned a B.S. at Bridgewater State College, and a Masters in education at Curry College. She then worked as a teacher while earning a Ph.D. in neurolinguistics from Walden University.[4] She volunteered for 30 years for the Coast Guard Auxiliary.[5], where she first met Thompson. In 2003 she was hired by the Coast Guard as a civilian, becoming the first woman and the seventieth keeper of the Boston Light.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Helmore, Edward (2023-12-30). "Last US lighthouse keeper steps down from role at Boston Light Beacon". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  2. ^ Smith, Tovia (December 26, 2023). "The nation's last official lighthouse keeper retires this week". NPR News.
  3. ^ Frost, Natasha (17 July 2020). "Meet the United States's Only Female Lighthouse Keeper". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  4. ^ Wickenden, Dorothy (30 October 2023). "The Last Lighthouse Keeper in America". The New Yorker. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  5. ^ Cathy Conley. "Sally Snowman, The Keeper of Boston Light". Weymouth (Mass) News. Archived from the original on 2006-10-04.
  6. ^ "300 years old and this lighthouse is still a keeper". PBS Newshour. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2023.