Presentation on the Kelly Adirondack Center and Adirondack Research Library of Union College given by Margie Amodeo at various events

Amodeo, Margie

English

Union College: Union | Digital Works

Why is there a Kelly Adirondack Center,owned by Union Collegeon the site of Paul Schaefer’s home,in a residential neighborhoodof Niskayuna?Paul Schaefer gained his appreciation for the Adirondacks as a young man when his family spent time at the foot ofCrane Mountain. At the age of 15 Paul left high school to take a five year apprenticeship with a local builder and went on to design and build over 50 homes in Niskayuna including his own on St. David’s Lane.Paul and his wife Carolyn raised four children in the home. Paul’s wife and his children were all 46ers (finishing when the youngest was just 11) but he never  completed the list.Paul Schaefer built the Adirondack Room as an addition to the original house in 1949 for the express purpose of holding meetings with fellow grass-roots activists and legislators. He would do so for nearly 50 years.Perhaps the house’s most unique feature is the 8’ x 12’ Adirondack relief map.Schaefer was recognized in 1985 at the Centennial Celebration for the Adirondack Park for his efforts in preservation. When he passed away in 1996, his home was purchased by the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks, an organization he had been vice president of for nearly 50 years.In 2004 the AfPA built a 4, 000 sq. ft. addition creating the Center for the Forest Preserve. It includes an exhibit space, offices, an open amphitheater, and the Adirondack Research Library.The Catskill bluestone amphitheaterThe Adirondack Research LibraryThanks to years of effort on the part of dozens of volunteers, the collection of books Paul Schaefer began as a child has become a useful resource for researchers.Over 30 Adirondack and environmental periodicals, the earliest dating from 1936.The Adirondack Research Library holdings include:75 Collections with a focus on 20th century environmental issues in the Adirondacks. Finding aids for approximately 30 of these are available on the ARL website.Nearly 3,000 books on the Adirondacks and environmental issues dating back to 1808. A complete copy of the Archives of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks from 1901. The Adirondack Research Library Map Collection includes:The Historic and ContemporaryMap Collection467 Maps of the Adirondacksand New York StateThe Topographic Map Collection558 USGS Maps of the Adirondack region including multiple states of each quadrantIn 2011 John (‘76) and Helen-Jo Kelly purchased the facility as a gift to Union College. The Kelly Adirondack Center is now fully owned and operated by Union College.Prof. Andrew Morris’s Adirondack and American Environmental History course is taught entirely at the Kelly Adirondack Center.Other professors choose to bring their students to the Center for a single class including local Adirondack relevance in their coursework.The Kelly Adirondack Center sponsors site visits for students in courses with Adirondack and environmental themes.This class hiked in to Santanoni, toured the Great Camp, and took the canoes out on the water.Each summer the Kelly Adirondack Center  sponsors two paid Summer Research Fellowships to promote student use of the resources of the Adirondack Research Library.In 2018 Sanan Hajiyev  studied the moral compass of Adirondack environmental  organizations and Anna Gagion researched the changing roles of Forest Rangers in the Adirondack Park.Union College student organizations, faculty departments, and administrative offices use the Kelly Adirondack Center for meetings, retreats, and events. The 2018 Community Service Pre-orientation group enjoyed lunch at the Kelly Adirondack Center and shared their experiences serving Schenectady.The bluestone amphitheater is a beautiful venue for storytelling, music, and theatrical performances.Eileen Egan Mack and Claire Nolan present Stories Honoring the Earth to the Union community and a group of from a  local Montessori school.Prof. Thomas Mowatt from SUNY Adirondackon Nature Deficit DisorderPhil Terrie Professor Emeritus BGSU on the extirpation and reintroduction of mammalsin the AdirondacksThe Kelly Adirondack Center also brings guest lecturers to campus to speak on Adirondack and environmental topics.More information on future programs available at:Kelly Adirondack Center Site:union.edu/adirondackAdirondack Research Library Site:libguides.union.edu/arlAlso on Facebook and InstagramKelly Adirondack Center897 St. David’s Lane, Niskayuna, NY 12309HoursMonday - Friday10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.Free and Open to the PublicNo charge for copies or use of images.

Kelly Adirondack Center at Union College

https://digitalworks.union.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&amp;context=presentations

Kelly Adirondack Center at Union College

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Union College: Union | Digital Works