Lasting Memories

Ellen (Sally) Probst
Feb. 12, 1919-Oct. 12, 2012
Palo Alto, California
Submitted by Richard Probst

Ellen "Sally" Probst, 93, died in her Palo Alto home on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, from cancer.

Sally was born Feb. 12, 1919, in Bessemer, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, to Arthur Redner and Belle (Olson) Redner. She was a life-long community activist, championing the rights of others and -- in her words -- "making a better world." Sally also made the world better for her family, as a loving wife, mother and grandmother.

Sally graduated from the University of Michigan in 1940, with Phi Beta Kappa honors. There she met Charles "Chuck" Probst; they were married in 1943. They settled first in Dayton, Ohio, then in Northbrook, Ill., and finally in Palo Alto, Calif.

Sally was president of the League of Women Voters in Palo Alto, president of the League in Northbrook Illinois, and served on LWV boards at both state and county levels in Illinois. She was the first woman elected as Village Trustee (City Council member) in Northbrook, Ill.; the opponent she defeated in this election, Jeb Magruder, subsequently joined the Nixon White House and later pled guilty to crimes related to Watergate.

In Illinois, and before that in Ohio, Sally's community activism focused on public education and the juvenile justice system. She organized a referendum to create Glenbrook North High School, which is now regularly listed as one of the top high schools in the country. She served on the Illinois Commission on Children (chairing the probation committee) and the Cook County Commission on Family Court. Legislation rewriting Illinois's Family Court act was introduced in 1964, but blocked due to opposition by state legislators from Chicago. Sally met privately with Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley to explain the bill; soon, all opposition evaporated, the legislation passed and the Family Court was reformed.

Sally's family joked that she drove the creation of Glenbrook High School when her children were in kindergarten, thinking that they could someday benefit, but why did she later decide to work to improve the situation for juvenile delinquents?

After Sally and her husband Chuck moved to California in 1988, she focused on issues of affordable housing and regional transportation. She served on committees overseeing the Housing Element of Palo Alto's Comprehensive Plan, the County/Stanford General Use Permit, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Citizens Advisory Committee, and Measure A Citizens Watchdog Committee. Sally chaired the Santa Clara County Housing Action Coalition, and was an active supporter of affordable housing, including 800 High Street, Alma Place, Stanford West and other developments in and near Palo Alto. She was a strong advocate for Measure O, which allowed Sand Hill Road to be extended, which now enables the renovation of Stanford Hospital.

In 2004, Sally was a founding member of PAGE -- Palo Altans for Governmental Effectiveness -- an organization seeking to improve the tenor of civil discourse in Palo Alto and answer the question: "How can we make a good community better?" She was a frequent speaker at meetings of the Palo Alto City Council, and treasured her friendships with local and state politicians.

Sally served as director of religious education for the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Illinois, and was an active and engaged member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto.

Sally is survived by her son, David Probst, of Montreal, Canada; her son, Richard Probst, and daughter-in-law, Deborah Probst, of Palo Alto; by grandsons, Stephan Probst, of Montreal Canada, Marc Probst, of Los Angeles, and Reese Probst, of Palo Alto; and by her brother, R. David Redner, of Philadelphia, Penn. Her husband Charles Probst died in 2000.