Feb. 25, 2004--Polly Anne Earl, 60, executive director of the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, Fla., died Feb. 18 at her home there.

In 1968, Mrs. Earl earned her master’s degree in American economic and technology history from UD, where she was a fellow of the Eleutherian-Mills Hagley Foundation and specialized in the administration of historical agencies.

Executive director of the Preservation Foundation since 1983, she oversaw the organization’s growth from a small organization to one with more than 1,200 members.

The Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce board of directors had planned to give Mrs. Earle its Pride of Palm Beach Award this spring in recognition of her efforts on behalf of the town.

Mrs. Earl was the coauthor of “Palm Beach: An Architectural Legacy,” a profile of properties that have received the foundation's Ballinger Award, published in 2003, and she authored “Palm Beach: The Way We Were,” a paperback of vintage postcards, published in 2001.

From 1970-74, Mrs. Earl was an editor for Winterthur Publications at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Delaware.

Mrs. Earl served on the boards of the League of Women Voters, the Historical Society of Palm Beach County and Goodwill Industries, and she was a past president of the Planned Giving Council of Palm Beach County.