Andrew Sanger Memorial Endowment
In January 2026, Alexander and Jeannette Sanger reached out to the Historical Society to set up an endowment to honor their son and his devotion to history. Today, we proudly celebrate this gift. The Andrew Sanger Memorial Endowment will provide permanent annual support for historical research, educational programs, distinguished speakers, and exhibitions that reflect Andrew’s curiosity, adventurous spirit, and deep love of history. Andrew Sanger 1981 – 2025Andrew Sanger was a writer, explorer, and lifelong summer resident of North Haven whose boundless curiosity and passion for history enriched everyone who knew him. A devoted student of the island’s past, Andrew was equally fascinated by the histories of distant cultures and places across the globe.
While North Haven remained his favorite place on earth, Andrew traveled widely in pursuit of adventure and knowledge. His journeys took him to remote islands off the eastern coast of India, throughout the Fiji Islands, and twice to Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner Island) in Kiribati as a member of expeditions searching for Amelia Earhart’s missing Lockheed Electra. On North Haven, Andrew was an indefatigable explorer of the island’s beaches and coves, searching for Native American artifacts and volunteering at the North Haven Historical Society to help catalogue its collections. He possessed an extraordinary knowledge of geology, archaeology, and Viking exploration. Nothing delighted him more than the possibility of discovering new evidence connecting the Vikings to North America, especially if it somehow led back to the island he loved. Andrew once described this passion in his own words: “My inquisitive mind blossomed into an obsession with remote islands, closed societies, and writing what I like to call ‘Island Fiction’. I have spent nearly a decade researching remote places and closed societies and have become fascinated with the dynamic of human beings in such extraordinarily limited circumstances. Each ‘island,’ whether surrounded by water or mountains, is a unique laboratory for the best and worst aspects of human nature.” At the time of his passing, Andrew had begun writing a novel centered on a Viking woman in the New World, overcoming both the harsh elements and her feckless male companions. Andrew attended school in New York City and California before earning his degree in history from Brown University. He later pursued Master of Fine Arts studies in creative writing at both Columbia University and New York University. A sensitive, loving man, Andrew wrote stories as well as songs, which he played on his guitar and piano. He relished hiking, being out on the water in his boat, and time on the golf course. His encyclopedic knowledge of history astounded all who met him. A Gift To North Haven Historical SocietyThe North Haven Historical Society is pleased to announce a generous endowment gift from Andrew’s family, the first of its kind in the Society’s history, for which we are incredibly grateful.
Through this lasting legacy, Andrew’s passion for discovery will continue to inspire future generations, and the island he cherished will remain a place where history is preserved, explored, and shared. His family is comforted knowing that Andrew’s memory will live on in the community he loved. |
|
|