Sarah Miles Watts Bolam, 1934-2024 (age 89), born in Wellsville, NY. Journalist, author, and college professor, Sarah died on March 8, 2024 with her husband, Thomas Bolam, by her side at their home in Pinehurst, NC. She is survived by her three children: Valerie, Sydney, and Miles Watts, and her grandchildren, Veronica and Duncan Watts, Seth and Lydia Grossman, and Vadim Briley.
In addition to her children, Sarah considered the creation of three different publications as her greatest accomplishments. They were The Journalist’s World, a quarterly in five languages for the International Federation of Journalists in Brussels, and at SUNY Brockport, Kaleidescope, an award-winning college magazine, and The Olympics Special, a daily newspaper for the International Special Olympics. She also co-authored three books: The Press and the Presidency with John Tebbel (Oxford University Press, 1985), and The Presidents on Film (McFarland & Co. Inc., Publishers, Inc., 2007) and Fictional Presidential Films (Xlibris, 2010) with her husband Thomas J. Bolam.
Sarah was born in Wellsville, NY, to Sidney Henderson Miles and Evelyn Gardner Miles. The young “Sally” Miles began her life-long interest in journalism as the editor of the Wellsville High School Owl. She continued as editor of her college newspapers. Upon graduation she joined the Gannett Co. in Rochester where she worked for its now defunct Times-Union and the Democrat & Chronicle. She was a special features writer, food writer, and drama and dance critic, posts which she continued for Rochester’s City newspaper. She met and married Ronald A. Watts, a fellow journalist at the Democrat & Chronicle, with whom she had three children. The couple moved to Brussels where they worked for the International Federation of Journalists for six years, he, arranging journalism training in Africa and Asia, and she, editing The Journalist’s World. In 1968 the couple returned to work in public relations at SUNY Brockport. Sarah taught journalism courses. Ronald Watts died in 1987.
After more than fifty years apart, she reunited with Thomas Bolam. They were married in 2003 and moved to Houston, TX and maintained a summer home in Brockport, NY and followed their interests in golfing, reading, and traveling.
The Watts and Bolam families will hold an Open House celebrating the life of Sarah at the Morgan-Manning House, Main Street, Brockport, NY on Friday, June 28 from 3 to 6 PM.
