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Dr. Sarah V. (Sally) Thorelli
Date Of Birth:Dec. 30, 1922
Date Of Death:Sept. 27, 2010
Service Date:November 14, 2010

Dr. Sarah (Sally) V. Thorelli was born in Atlanta, GA., Dec. 30, 1922, daughter of Thomas E. Scott, Esq. and Mary Scott (b. Belk).  She was a well-known free-lance researcher and scholar, interested in economic policies on both sides of the marketplace and in organizational theory and practice.  For years she was concerned with consumer policies both in the United States and abroad, and received international recognition in this area.  She was an associate in a strategic planning and research consulting firm, Heartland Associates.  Sally served as Vice President of INTOPIA, INC., representing the international Operations Simulation developed by an international team of professors guided by her husband.

She co-authored two books, Consumer Information Handbook: Europe and North America (New York: Praeger, 1974) and Consumer Information Systems and Consumer Policy (Cambridge: Ballinger, 1977), and wrote or co-authored a number of articles.

She consulted with the Federal Trade Commission and the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C., and the Sears, Roebuck and Company and participated in field surveys of consumer groups and business organizations in South America, Europe, South Africa, Thailand and the People’s Republic of China during the last forty years.  She was an official translator of legal documents including the Constitution of Sweden for the Swedish Foreign Office during her years in Stockholm; she was an intelligence research analyst for the U.S. Department of State in the early  1950’s, a foreign representative for the Equifax (formerly Retail Credit) Company and an account executive at J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency in New York City.  She served with the Chemical Warfare Service during World War II.

Dr. Thorelli held an AB degree in Economics from the University of Georgia, and MA in Public Administration from the University of Alabama, and studied at Northwestern University as a fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation-funded Southern Regional Training Program, finishing her PhD degree in Political Economy at the University of Stockholm.  She lived in Stockholm six years, one year in Lausanne and another in London.  Yearlong (or more) stays in Chicago, Washington and New York.  She ran the family farm north of Bloomington for twenty years, before moving downtown in 1991.

She was married to Hans B. Thorelli, Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at Indiana University.  Her two grown children live outside Indiana.  Irene is a former Professor at the University of Wisconsin and Tom has his own international law firm in Chicago.  She leaves five grandchildren.

She was a one-time President of the University Women’s Club, a member of the American Association of University Women, Psi Iota Xi Philanthropic Society, the Network of Career Women, the Local Council of Women and a number of Indiana University related groups.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 14th in Bloomington.  The time and place of services will be announced.  Allen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.  Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenfuneralhome.org.


  • From: Harriet  Pfister
    Location:Bloomington

    Dear Irene, Tom, and other family members, Please accept my great sympathy on the death of your wonderful Mother and Grandmother. My late husband(Dick died in June) and I knew Sally and your Father and Grandfather since our arrival in Bloomington in 1966. I remember how kind they were to us then and how they helped us feel at home. I knew Sally in the University Women's Club and saw her and Hans at other University Club events. Sally's academic achievements were many but I remember how she never "flaunted" her credentials and achievements. She was always interested in our children and what they were doing. Everyone knew Sally (she was truly a unique personality!)and she will be greatly missed by us all. You, her family, are blessed with many, many wonderful memories of both Sally and Hans! Sincerely, Harriet Pfister


  • From: John and Anne Summers
    Location:Longboat Key, FL 34228

    It was Sept., 1969, when we first arrived at the IU Marketing Dept. where John began his career as an Assistant Professor. Your parents welcomed us at their Blue Ridge home where we roasted potatoes in the fireplace and ate them with pickles! What a memorable start to a 35 year friendship with Hans and Sally! We'll always remember Hans' vests, bow ties, and natty hats... Sally's black nail polish... Hans kissing the hands of the ladies... Sally's laugh...Hans' dedication to the profession by attendance at the B-School and professional meetings into his eighties...Sally's dedication to the work on which she and Hans collaborated...I'm short, so Sally always patted me on the head (I'll miss that!) They were never wall flowers at a party! Once you met Hans and Sally, you didn't forget them. They were elegant originals. They were such a team, that one could never talk about one without talking about the other, too! May your memories of this remarkable couple comfort you and make you smile!


  • From: Jeff Ames
    Location:CVS Pharmacy Bloomington, IN

    Both Sally and Hans had been my customers for a long long time - perhaps going back to the 70's. I had not seen her for some time but always enjoyed her personality. She always put a smile on my face and I will miss both Hans and Sally. Jeff Ames