Born: 17 January 1913, United States
Died: 17 January 2021
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Sandy, Eleanor Torrey
The following is shared from The New Georgia Encyclopedia, which allows the use of protected materials for noncommercial educational purposes.
In 1978 the state of Georgia acquired Ossabaw Island through the efforts of Eleanor Torrey West, and it became the state’s first heritage preserve, for scientific and cultural research and environmental preservation. It came under the management of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, but Eleanor West retained a twenty-four-acre life estate on the island. Since 1998 the Ossabaw Island Foundation has partnered with the Department of Natural Resources to manage cultural, educational, and scientific programs on the island while working to minimize visitors’ environmental impact. The foundation has since restored ten historic buildings on Ossabaw, and it brings more than 1,000 people a year to the island.