Hacker was born and raised in
Litchfield, Illinois. In her junior year of high school, she was expelled for becoming pregnant with her son. From 1971 to 1976, she was an assistant professor of sociology at
Drake University. She was a professor of sociology at
Oregon State University (OSU) from 1977 until 1988. Hacker died of
lung cancer in
Corvallis, Oregon July 24, 1988. The
American Sociological Association awards a graduate student paper award each year in her memory. In 1999, an annual award called the
Sally Hacker Prize was established by the
Society for the History of Technology. This award recognizes "exceptional scholarship that reaches beyond the academy toward a broad audience." ==Publications==