Susan Strobhar was born in Savannah’s Telfair Hospital for Females on May 13, 1943, the only child of Arthur Douglass Strobhar (Douglass) of Purysburg, SC and Edna Katherine Long (Katherine) of Manassas, GA. She attended The Pape School in Savannah, Ashley Hall in Charleston, SC, and Armstrong State College in Savannah.
Susan was a leader and active member of many civic and charitable organizations, including the Junior League of Savannah, the Trustees Garden Club, Savannah Hospice, and Women of Christ Church Episcopal. She was involved in the formation of Christ Church’s Emmaus House and served as Chairman of the Women of Christ Church Tour of Homes. On April 8, 1989, Susan became one of the first two women to be ordained as a Deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. She was very active in the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival, for which she traveled to conferences around the world, speaking personally with leaders such as Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev, the Dalai Lama, Vice President Al Gore, singer, songwriter, environmentalist and founder of The World Hunger Project, John Denver, and Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Susan was also a tireless advocate for the architectural and environmental preservation of Tybee Island, Georgia, and South Carolina’s pristine Lowcountry. Susan was an avid conservationist, social advocate, spiritual leader, inspired gardener, and dedicated humanitarian.
Franklin Reed Dulany, Jr., (Reed) was born on January 5, 1931, in Savannah’s Telfair Hospital for Females, the only son of Mary Lois Howard Dulany (Lois) of Savannah and Franklin Reed Dulany (Frank), of Philadelphia, PA. Reed attended Savannah’s Charles Ellis Elementary and Richard Arnold Middle schools. He graduated high school from The Choate School in Wallingford, CT, and went on to attend The Citadel in Charleston, SC, graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1953.
Reed was a First Lieutenant in the Army during the Korean War. When he returned to Savannah, he began his lifelong career at his family’s business, Southern States, Phosphate & Fertilizer Company. On March 18, 1982, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the company, and on June 11, 1982, became Chairman and President. He also owned and operated three satellite companies: Champion Machine and Manufacturing Company, Inc., Plym, Incorporated, and Pump Components. Reed gave civically through his membership in the Rotary Club and service on the board of Savannah’s Park and Tree Commission.
In addition to his engineering career within the fertilizer and sulfuric acid plants, Reed’s life was filled with many interests: flying, shrimping, fishing, upland hunting. Flying private planes was his greatest passion. In his earlier years, he enjoyed golf, tennis, snow and water skiing, scuba diving, sailing, and being a member of his school choir. He found joy in music, especially orchestral. Reed also studied photography and spent many hours designing track systems and running model trains. He spent most of his spare time building, repairing, and solving the problems of mechanical and electrical systems of friends and family, one of his greatest talents. Reed was a member of the Oglethorpe Club, the Savannah Golf Club, the Savannah Yacht Club, and the Chatham Club.
On August 13, 1960, Reed and Susan were married by The Reverend Dawson Teague at First Christian Church on Atlantic Avenue in Savannah. The couple had three children, Susan (Suzanne), Catherine, and Reed III. Susan Strobhar Dulany died on February 20, 2011, aged 67. Franklin Reed Dulany, Jr., died on April 26, 2022, aged 91, They are buried side by side in the Dulany family plot in Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery.
Susan and Reed’s children established the Susan Strobhar Dulany and Franklin Reed Dulany, Jr., Fund at the Georgia Historical Society in 2018, ensuring that their commitment to Georgia history will continue in perpetuity.