The Lake Minnetonka Chapter DAR was first organized by energetic leader and enthusiastic women’s advocate, Sandra-Faith “Sandie” Lamb. As both a pioneering scientist and an artist skilled in needle work, Sandie stitched together a life characterized by big dreams, hard work, and impactful achievements. She was a woman of faith, who found strength and joy in prayer. She also had faith in people and believed it was her obligation as a leader to help women discover their talents and pursue bold goals.
Career
A natural leader and driven achiever, Sandie earned a scholarship to St. Scholastica College where she majored in Chemistry and Math. She was the first in her family to attend college, inspiring her sisters to pursue higher educations as well. She began her career as a chemist at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic and continued her work as a chemist at Archer Daniels Midland. Ever the visionary and pioneer, Sandie observed the burgeoning computer industry with interest and took a position as a computer programmer with Univac. She went on to work in this field for Memorex and Control Data. While working at Control Data, this life-long learner earned an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
Military Service
Sandie’s first husband, Eldon Hayes Bunker, served in the United States Army during WWII and continued serving in the Army Reserve after the war. When the Army began digitizing its work in the 1970s, officers at the Army Reserve took notice of Sandie’s unique computer skills and actively recruited her to join. She served in the Army Reserve as a computer scientist for over 25 years while earning a master’s degree at Command and General Staff College. She retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and is now buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Lake Minnetonka Chapter DAR
Sandie’s own military experience sparked her interest in her ancestors’ military service. She learned from her aunt that she was descended from Revolutionary War Patriot, Isaac Freese. Freese served in the Massachusetts Militia from August 1777 to January 1778 and was stationed at Penobscot River in Maine as part of the Northern Campaign. Following this discovery, Sandie joined the DAR in 1973. With her trademark enthusiasm and boundless energy, Sandie held numerous leadership roles in the DAR, serving as Regent of the Captain John Holmes Chapter, State Registrar, and State Organizing Secretary.
While faithfully serving in these roles, Sandie joined other visionary leaders who saw an even bigger opportunity. Inspired to reach women in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, Sandie became a founding member of the Lake Minnetonka Chapter DAR in 2005 and was chosen to be its Organizing Regent. She served in this role until tragically developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Endowment
While Sandie’s academic, professional, and military accomplishments are impressive, they are matched by her generosity and enthusiastic advocacy for women. Her estate plan included a generous gift to the DAR chapter she helped to launch. In honor of Sandie’s pioneering spirit, this gift has been used to found something new: an endowment fund from which awards that advance the DAR’s mission of education, patriotism, and historic preservation can be made. Sandie’s generous legacy gift now enables our chapter to inspire future generations to reach their potential, just as she did. When asked what Sandie might have said to inspire and encourage future award recipients, her sister, Liz, fittingly replied, “Be bold and follow your dreams.”
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