Sallie Morton
American jeweler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sallie Morton (November 8, 1925 – October 24, 2017), born Sallie Miller, was an American jeweler and gemologist. In 1977, she became the first female president of the American Gem Society.
November 8, 1925
Sallie Morton | |
|---|---|
Sallie Morton, from a 1962 newspaper | |
| Born | Sallie Miller November 8, 1925 Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
| Died | October 24, 2017 (aged 91) Los Gatos, California, U.S. |
| Occupations | Jeweler, gemologist |
| Known for | President of the American Gem Society (1977 to 1979) |
Early life
Sallie Miller was born in Reno, Nevada, one of the six daughters of Meredith Raines Miller and Sadie Phillips Miller.[1] She attended from Reno High School,[2] and graduated from the University of Oregon in with a degree in accounting. She later studied gemology, earning certification as a gemologist in 1962.[3] At the time, there were only five American women with such certification.[4]
Career
Finding limited employment as an accountant, Morton worked with her husband at his watch repair shop in San Jose, California.[5] Their business grew into Morton Jewelers, with various locations around San Jose and Los Gatos, California. As a gemologist, she lectured internationally, and toured mines, factories, and private collections in Australia, Africa, Asia, and South America.[6] "I go primarily to see how jewelry is made, not to buy," she explained in 1978.[7] In 1986, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Women's Jewelry Association. Morton sold her business, Morton Jewelers, when she retired in 1993.[3]
From 1977 to 1979, Morton was president of the American Gem Society, the first woman to hold that executive position.[1] She served on the Society's board from 1980 to 1992. In 1982, she was the first woman recipient of the Society's Robert M. Shipley Award.[1] She took the lead in raising funds to replace the Society's San Francisco headquarters, which were destroyed in a 1983 fire. She was a member of the editorial board of the Society's journal, Gems & Gemology.[8] In 2014, the Society launched the Sallie Morton Award.[9]
Morton was active in the Rotary Club of San Jose, as one of its first female members; she also served on the board of the Santa Clara Girl Scout Council.[3]
Personal life
Sallie Miller married watchmaker MacDonald G. Morton in 1949.[2] They had a son, Philip. She died in 2017, aged 91 years,[10] from mesothelioma.[11][12]
