Embedded Files
About the High Summit Honor Society
Like many volunteer-based organizations, the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club is only as strong and healthy as the volunteer efforts of its membership. Because of the recent extraordinary work of so many members, our current Chapter has never been stronger and is unquestionably one of the healthiest in all of ADK.
Over the many years of our Chapter's existence, we have been fortunate to have a number of members whose efforts have gone above and beyond those of most others and exceed what is typically 'expected' of a volunteer. These members have performed many different tasks, often without any recognition, often for many, many years. The first of these special people are those responsible for the formation of our Chapter in the 60's.
While continual attempts to honor and thank our volunteers have been made as often as possible over the past several years, it became apparent that we haven't been able to recognize some of our most special volunteers. In an attempt to finally rectify this, the Executive Committee created the "High Summit Honor Society" (HSHS). Once a year, current or past members of the Genesee Valley Chapter having a minimum of ten years of active involvement in ADK may be nominated for enshrinement into the HSHS.
Please check out the plaque at the monthly chapter meetings that lists all of the inductees from each of the classes of the High Summit Honor Society.
High Summit Honor Society nomination procedure.
List of High Summit Honor Society members.
HSHS 2016 Nancy Donny
High Summit Honor Society - Nancy Donny
Nancy came to the ADK Genesee Valley Chapter after discovering her first love, her canoe and soloing on Canadice Lake while living in Springwater, NY. After 3 years of ‘swampin’ fun, searching for cool underwater rocks, and challenges like high wind waves and having bats zoom her on night time paddles, another boater on the lake said, “You are always alone ~ why don’t you get with that ADK group”?
That is when Nancy showed up at her first monthly meeting and was hooked. Discovering what she called,
“Charlie’s Group”, she became very active in Waterways (WW). Not being able to keep up in her canoe, she
purchased her second love, her kayaks, and the next 10 years where full of waterways adventures and
challenges. She is very close to completing her Paddle Tour of the Finger Lakes (PTFL), earning her patch for
circumnavigating all eleven Finger Lakes.
Don’t tell anyone but she already has a patch. Discovering that there was no actual patch when the first 4 Folks earned their patches, she designed the current PTFL patch and had them made in time to honor the recipients. But she snuck one out of the package before getting them to Charlie.
Nancy wanted to bring more Folks into the club to see what fun it was and how much one could learn from
hanging with outdoor lovers so when the membership position opened up, she took her first jump onto the
executive committee, using mailings and pot luck dinners to create excitement among members and drawing nonmembers to join.
Still remaining active while relocation to NH and DC temporarily took her away, Nancy continued contributing
at EXPO with her yearly, “Why I Love My Boat” seminar on the beach, and as a safety boater. Returning to
Rochester, she took the empty Education position and was back on the executive committee again and has
also held positions of Programs, Vice Chair and Chair.
Active in Waterways, Nancy attends WW meetings, aids in planning paddling seasons, and has earned her
leadership patch by leading and co-leading WW day trips and camping galas. Taking the Leadership Training
Course, and as Education Chair, she realized how valuable that training and confidence was in order to gain future leaders, so she became active in the planning and conducting of the leadership training.
Nancy put together an AD-HOC Marketing Committee which was comprised of several enthusiastic and
talented Folks. The committee implemented the classified, regular, and EXPO advertisement program
currently used in The Geneseean. They created and purchased the current poster boards used as backdrops at meetings, ADK sponsored events, and at ADK event tables. Powerpoint programs and displays were created to enhance ADK meetings and create excitement to grow attendance.
Nancy has taken a bit of a hiatus from active work in the GVC to learn the art of tap dance. She is currently
part of a nonprofit dance troupe called the OASIS Tappers. The group of ladies and gents are between 59 and 99 years old and perform shows for the elderly in assisted living, senior care, and rehabilitation facilities.
HSHS Read Kingsbury
READ A. KINGSBURY Read Kingsbury worked at the Times-Union and Democrat and Chronicle newspapers, working his way up from suburban reporter to city editor, to special projects investigations editor, and finally to editor of the editorial page before moving to Block Island, where he continued his passion for conservation by becoming president of the Block Island Conservancy. He later became a member and chair of the Brewster Conservation Commission when he moved to Cape Cod in 2003. Fraser Lang of the Block Island Times stated that Read “treated people with respect and compassion, mentored reporters and was just a first-class human being.” While in Rochester, he joined the ADK-GVC in 1970 and became Vice Chair in December 1972, being responsible for monthly programs. Read was also active in chairing the publications committee in 1972 to publish trail guides and other ADK publications. He became Chapter Chair in November 1973. He was appointed in 1989 by Governor Mario Cuomo to a state advisory commission to plan the future of the Adirondack Park. His major Adirondack interest, aside from wilderness preservation, was hiking. Read was a 46er, and, while climbing the High Peaks, he became aware of what all the traffic on those mountains was doing to them. “The success of the Adirondack Park Agency is essential to the interests of the Adirondack Mountain Club,” he said. “I hope as a club we can watchdog the work of the agency, encourage it where suitable and badger it when needed.” (The Geneseean: December 1973). Read died in 2010 at the age of 84 at his home in Cape Cod. Even in his final years, he continued to support conservation efforts at local, state and federal levels. His love of camping, hiking and kayaking lives on in his three children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His family still vacations every summer in the Adirondacks, enjoying the land that he worked so hard to protect.
HSHS 2016 David Schott
HSHS recognition for David Schott David has done something special for an ADK Chapter that needs a new generation to carry on the work of ADK: he has brought a shot of youthful energy. There are so many things that he has done for us: he took the Geneseean newsletter to a whole new level of content and professional presentation; he has run the Younger Members group, bringing in a cohort of enthusiastic members; he has organized big out-of-town doings like the Johns Brook Jamboree and the High Peaks Winter Weekend; he has served as a motivational force to the Club as a whole, which now looks to its Genesee Valley Chapter as a model of YM engagement; and has led numerous trips both in Trails and Waterways. What is more remarkable: he did this in only the few years he was with us. (He’s now moving on to Seattle.) Most of our High Summit Honor Society honorees accomplish something similar over the course of a much longer association with the Chapter. So we have decided to forego our usual requirement for a membership of at least 10 years to thank him for all his work, his inspiration. We say thanks to David by awarding him inclusion in our High Summit Honor Society, our highest award. Thank you, David.
HSHS 2016 Paul Weld
Paul Weld, MD Paul Weld, MD, was the Genesee Valley Chapter Chair in 1971. He was a three time 46er, and a frequent trip leader at least into the mid-1980s, despite having contracted polio as a young man. Paul was a bird expert and long-time member of the Genesee Ornithological Society who shared his knowledge within GVC and ADK. He wrote articles for Adirondac magazine. Professionally, Paul was an internist affiliated with Rochester General Hospital for 33 years, where he served as Director of Medical Education, Chief of Physical Medicine, and Director of the Division of Diagnostic Ultrasound. He also published multiple medical articles. Paul Weld’s first Adirondack High Peak was Algonquin, climbed from Lake Colden during the summer of 1936 when he was twelve years old. He was “bitten”—his word— on this trip, or possibly before, by a love for Adirondack mountain climbing, that continued to be one of his ruling passions for the rest of his life. This first trip, like many after, began from his parents’ summer tutoring camp for boys located on the unsettled, west shore of Lake Clear. It was a very different time in the mountains, as evidenced by Paul’s memory that his older brother, the leader of this trip, drove the camp’s Model A flatbed truck into Marcy Dam via the South Meadow road where he parked, and the backpacking party disembarked. In the childhood years following this first climb, Paul began making plans to complete the 46 High Peaks. Letters from Grace Hudowalski (46er #9) and Ed Harmes (46er #18) that Paul received when he was 17 years old, give detailed advice about routes up trailless peaks, approaches, places to camp, etc. Both Grace and Ed urged Paul to climb Couchsacraga from “the Hermit’s camp” because, in Grace’s words “Mr. Rondeau is as genial a man as I ever met, an institution in himself, and…because he is my friend.” Paul regretted never meeting Noah John Rondeau. Paul continued climbing every summer as he completed college and medical school. By the end of the summer of 1954, he was a medical resident in Buffalo, and had climbed 39 of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. Then he contracted polio. Both legs were affected by the disease, and, due to their weakness, challenging climbs were beyond Paul’s capacity for several years. When he was able to return to the High Peaks, his appetite for climbing undiminished, his pace was much slower than during his pre-polio years. One of consequences of his physical limitations was that peak bagging with its long stretches of ridge travel was out. Post-polio trip planning was careful and deliberate, and Paul Weld developed a renewed appreciation for backpacking and trailless climbing as he approached many peaks singly by unorthodox routes. He climbed Donaldson, by itself, from Calkins Brook, Emmons, by itself, from Ouluska and Emmons brooks, Nye from Wanika Falls, Couchsacraga from Cold River and Panther Brook. The Emmons trip from Ouluska Pass lean-to in 1966 completed his first round of climbing the 46 peaks that he’d set his sights on in the early 1940s. During the 1960s, the High Peaks were becoming well-travelled, and a network of “herd” paths were beginning to be established on the peaks that did not have maintained trails. Paul Weld’s trailless experiences led to his embrace of a fervently felt wilderness ethic that promoted the preservation of the trailless experience for ADK hikers. Two Adirondac articles, “Nye Mountain in May” (November-December 1965), and “Couchsacraga: Vanishing Wilderness” (March-April 1966) describe both his hopes and worries about changes in the mountains brought on by their increased popularity. In the second article, he advocated that 46ers engage in “trail obliteration” (the deliberate destruction of “herd” paths), and the adoption of brook routes and map and compass to summit trailless peaks. He saved a letter from George Marshall that responded to these articles with sympathy and understanding. As Paul aged, this radical perspective softened, but his love of Adirondack climbing remained. A 1973 ADK Mountain Club Genesee Valley Chapter Outing Schedule listed him as the “Immediate Past Chairman” and had him co-leading trips to West Street, Marshall, and Seward and Seymour. His last High Peak was Hough, climbed by itself, in the late 1980s, part of his unsuccessful attempt to complete a fourth round of the 46. He continued to climb Baxter, Owl’s Head, and the Crows until post-polio syndrome made extended walking impossible. Paul Weld died in 2007. The last book he read, one of his favorites, was Friendly Adirondack Peaks by Robert S. Wickham, an account of a several weeks’ backpack through the Adirondack Mountains in the 1920s. Peter Collinge (Thanks to Charles Weld, Paul’s son, for much of the information in this article)
HIGH SUMMIT HONOR SOCIETY
HIGH SUMMIT HONOR SOCIETY
High Summit Honor Society Class of 2016
High Summit Honor Society - Class of 2016
Nancy Donny Read Kingsbury David Schott Paul Weld
High Summit Honor Society Class of 2015
High Summit Honor Society: Class of 2014
Twelfth High Summit Honor Society: Class of 2014
Eleventh High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2013
High Summit Honor Society Class of 2013
High Summit Honor Society Class of 2013
Tenth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2012
Tenth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2012
Nineth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2011
Ninth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2011
Eighth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2010
Eighth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2010
Seventh High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2009
Seventh High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2009
Margaret Reek Dave Harrison Judy Immesoete
Sixth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2008
Sixth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2008
Rich Sensenbach Dan Wilson Bill Crowe
Fifth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2007
Fifth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2007
Karen Malecki David Newman Susan Stolov for Edgar W. Trainer
Fourth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2006
Fourth High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2006
Jackson E. Thomas James A. Bird Lawrence G. Newman Daan Zwick Joanne Mitchell
Third High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2005
Third High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2005
Dr. Henry Staehle Barb Brenner Jerry Hargrave John Holtz Bob Goodwin
Second High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2004
Second High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2004
Doug Wall Dave Mundie Dick Spade Doug Smith Don Baird
First High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2003
First High Summit Honor Society Class of September 2003
Donald Burness Warren De Land William Endicott Jack Freeman Ellsworth Stein
Class of 2014
Bob Krenzer
Bob Krenzer joined our Chapter in 2004 as a member of the Younger Members. Although he has led trips for snowshoeing and bicycling, his passion has always been focused on hiking. In 2005 he helped to create Saturday Hikes and continued his role as a leader by organizing and leading those hikes. As if those outings were not enough for him to do, Bob enthusiastically led trips to hike in the Adirondacks.
Despite his skill as a hiking leader, Bob had another talent that surfaced in 2008 when he volunteered to be our Treasurer. The membership of the Executive Committee (EC) depended on his reliability for providing excellent financial reports and managing our banking and checking accounts. While serving on the EC with Bob during those four years, I knew that he was one of the best Treasurers we have had.
But Bob’s heart belonged to hiking, and, after stepping down as our Treasurer in 2012, he returned to his main love by offering to become a Co-Chair of the Trails Committee, a difficult job that involves convincing other hikers to lead trips for our Chapter. For the next year he begged, borrowed and stole hike leaders from our capable membership.
Never content to stay idle, Bob branched out to help with our participation in the Pick Up the Parks Program for a number of years and assisted with the Leaders Workshop in 2011. He has volunteered at Expo and at Winterfest and has even found time to join some committees, of which the Marketing and Communications team has been his most recent.
I guess Bob’s nickname should be “All-around Guy” for his involvement in a diversity of activities and challenges for our Chapter. Those who work with him appreciate his easy manner and friendly style and always finish a task by knowing how much easier it was through his effort. I am proud to be able to nominate Bob Krenzer for the High Summit Honor Society.
-- Jet Thomas
Larry Telle
Larry Telle is one of Genesee Valley ADK’s most enthusiastic and dedicated members. A very active hiker, he has been serving as Genesee Valley’s Sunday hike coordinator since 2009. In that capacity, he has devoted a great deal of time to lining up hike leaders and publicizing each week’s outing. But his involvement with the Sunday hike program goes far beyond that of administrator, since he has led numerous Sunday hikes himself. Although some of these have been local hikes in County parks, many have been part of a series of all-day hikes that he has been running on the Finger Lakes Trail. One of Larry’s aims in leading these hikes has been to help interested Chapter members achieve their goal of hiking the entire Finger Lakes Trail in installments. In recent months, he has been leading hikes on the various FLT branch trails. As you can guess, some of these all-day outings have required two or three hours of motor vehicle travel to the trailhead, which means that the groups have left early in the morning—often as passengers in Larry’s van—and returned in the late afternoon or early evening.
In addition to the Finger Lakes Trail hikes, Larry has led other out-of-town Chapter outings, including an Adirondack High Peaks weekend trip, and has assisted fellow chapter member Joe Roth in leading a number of trips in the White Mountains.
All told, Larry has led somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 ADK-GVC hikes.
As a hike leader, Larry is very skilled. He is sensitive to the abilities of all the hikers in his groups, and where necessary, he adjusts the pace of the hike if someone is having difficulty keeping up. In addition, the descriptions that he posts in advance of each hike are very thorough, with accurate descriptions of the length of the hike and the terrain. Very often, he accompanies these descriptions with maps and with graphs showing the elevation changes.
In addition to his contributions as Sunday hike coordinator and as a hike leader, Larry has been one of the instructors in Genesee Valley ADK’s trip leader training programs. He has also completed the first aid training that our Chapter sponsors. Moreover, Larry has participated in numerous trail maintenance projects, both as a GVC-ADK volunteer and as member of another, non-ADK volunteer trail maintenance group.
The words “High Summit” are especially applicable to Larry. He is not only an Adirondack 46r but has also completed the Northeast 111, summiting the highest peaks in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. He’s now working on his Catskill 3500.
Although he is one of our Chapter’s premier hikers and hike leaders, Larry’s outdoor recreation interests are not limited to hiking. In recent years, he has been taking part in our Chapter’s waterways activities. And for the past four years, he has attended the annual ADK Paddle Outing.
In all of his activities as a trip leader and participant, Larry has not only demonstrated considerable skill, but has also been someone who is very friendly and welcoming to the other participants, both experienced and inexperienced. It’s safe to say that without his efforts, Genesee Valley ADK would not be as effective in implementing our mission of encouraging responsible outdoor recreation. And we certainly wouldn’t have as much fun as we have had on the trail with Larry!
It’s both a pleasure and an honor to welcome Larry Telle to membership in the High Summit Honor Society.
--Dave Harrison
Class of 2013
Class of 2013
Class of 2013
Ken Reek
By Bruce and Sheri Tehan
If you have ever heard a potential new member of the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club say something like, “Those ADK folks are really nice,” Ken Reek may very well be one of the people he or she was talking about. As a friendly, fascinating, and intelligent person Ken serves as a superb ambassador for our club. He is an outstanding trip leader, dedicated trails advocate, hardworking volunteer, and a fine educator. It is our chapter’s great honor to induct Ken into the High Summit Honor Society.
Ken has made many invaluable contributions to our chapter. A retired college professor, Ken has been a very strong contributor to our chapter’s educational mission. He has run leadership training workshops and helped develop the manual used in the leadership training. He regularly volunteers at Outdoor Expo by running workshops and leading introductory hikes. Ken has also conducted numerous workshops at our chapter meetings.
Ken is an outdoorsman with a wide range of interests. He is a remarkable photographer, enthusiastic traveler, and talented public speaker. Ken has used these attributes to present several popular programs for ADK showcasing our planet’s natural beauty.
He has expertly led many enjoyable, well organized local hikes and away trips to the Adirondacks. Ken served as trail coordinator for the ADK-GVC section of the Finger Lakes Trail for five years. He has done an enormous amount of trail work for our club and for other organizations. He has served on our trails committee and he created a map page for the Saturday and Sunday hikes which he maintained for over 10 years.
Most of the aforementioned contributions made by Ken were done in partnership with his wife, Margaret, who is already a High Summit Honor Society member. Ken and Margaret are two of the reasons our chapter is so special. Like Margaret, every one of the many things Ken has done for the club has been of the highest quality. The warmth and kindness, hard work, talent, and knowledge Ken has shared with our fellow club members make him a perfect addition to the High Summit Honor Society.
Charlie Helman
By Steven Tryon
Meet Charlie Helman, Mr. Waterways himself, or so it seems. As he tells it, he started paddling and bought his first kayak in 2002. Shortly thereafter he met Karola Jones, Luann Mongelli, and Mike Cooper at the Durand beach and got talking paddling. They invited him to a meeting, which turned out to be a waterways planning meeting. He joined the Genesee Valley chapter and has been a mainstay of the club ever since. In 2004 he became the Waterways co-chair and ADK Outdoor Expo beach coordinator. In 2005 he became Waterways chair; he's still there. He eventually got some help on the Expo beach coordinator duties, but along the way he became the primary ADK contact not only for the Outdoor Expo boat vendors but also for EMS club days and LL Bean and North Face as they came to Rochester.
Charlie has been on a state organization addressing the development of canoe and kayak launch sites along the canal system, which includes Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. The committee which was originally called the "Genesee-Finger Lakes Regional Blueway Committee". It included members of the Sierra Club, Pack, Paddle & Ski, Genesee Waterways, FLOW, plus executives from various NYS agencies and many county and town departments of planning and tourism. This committee helped lay the groundwork for multiple projects along the canal.
Since 2005 Charlie has been the main trip leader for the chapter's Paddle Tour of the Finger Lakes (PTFL) extended challenge. He tries to paddle each of the Finger Lakes each year; he figures he paddles between 300 and 400 miles each year. He has organized multiple creek clean-up on Irondequoit Creek and the creeks feeding Bradock Bay. For the past several years he has helped organize kayak safety practice sessions, helping folks improve and gain confidence in their self and assisted rescues. He has been volunteer of the month a couple times and co-volunteer of the year once. Somewhere along the line he served a year as Outdoor Expo Chair. He has been doing the Tuesdays at the Beach paddles since pretty near forever.
A few years ago Charlie got involved as a safety boater for an area triathlon. One thing led to another, and now he and his cohorts work as safety boaters for four annual events, the Ithaca Women's Swim, the Canandaigua Finger Lakes Triathlon, the Peasantman Triathlon at Keuka Lake and the Rochester Triathlon on Lake Ontario.
It is my distinct pleasure and privilege to welcome Charlie Helman to the High Summit Honor Society.
Class of 2012
Class of 2012
Class of 2012
Bill Deans
By Al Bushnell
Bill Deans, wife Nancy, 7 year old daughter Kate, and 5 year old son Andy joined the Genesee Valley Chapter in 1982. Like many of us, they had done some hiking in the Adirondacks on their own and were eager to do more. GVC-ADK was recommended to Bill as the best place to learn about backpacking and they soon began going on Chapter outings.
Once Bill had been on a few Chapter trips, he began leading beginner backpacking trips focusing on the family. While most of the participants on Bill's family trips had a good time and learned a great deal, there were apparently a few families Bill was convinced weren't going to be using any of that backpacking gear again for a long time, if ever.
Using the knowledge gained on these trips, the Deans family set out to section-hike the entire Northville-Lake Placid Trail over a few years. After completing the NLP Trail, Bill and Andy decided it would be fun to hike all the High Peaks. For the next few years, sometimes accompanied by Kate and/or Nancy, they kept up their quest. Bill and Andy accomplished their goal together on Gray Peak in 1994 and it remains one of Bill's proudest accomplishments. Bill led a number of trips to Pennsylvania, the High Peaks, and other Adirondack destinations during this time, the first one to the Santanonis. Bill continued hiking and leading trips and became a Winter 46er in 2002.
On a drive up to the Adirondacks in Winter 1994, Bill asked who he needed to know on the Executive Committee to become more involved in the Genesee Valley Chapter. He was soon our Chapter's Secretary, a position he held from 1995 – 1997. He then served as Programs Chair from 1997 – 2000, which was a time when the Programs Chair didn't have the assistance of a committee, meaning Bill planned and arranged thirty programs with minimal support. Probably his most successful program was bringing Peggy, Dan, Dan, and Carl to Rochester, possibly for the first time, filling the Eisenhart to well beyond capacity. During the same period he was Programs Chair, Bill served as Vice-Chair for two years. And all the while, Bill continued to lead trips, served on the Trails Committee, became a regular on the Highway Cleanups along with Nancy, and assisted Erv Tschanz with the Winter Backpacking Workshop for many years. He was awarded the Genesee Valley Chapter's Volunteer of the Year Chair's Award for 1997-98.
After retirement, Bill and Nancy moved to Square Pond in Maine, a special place where Nancy had spent many summers with her family. Now when they're not off on some adventure, Bill spends his spare time lifeguarding at the local YMCA in Sanford, and serving, with Andy's assistance, as the Sanford YMCA Titans Swim Team Junior Age Group swim coach.
Bill's many years of volunteer efforts are truly appreciated and will continue to be missed.
Donna Dinse
By Judy Immesoete
If it were possible to look up the definitions of ADK and volunteer in the dictionary, you would find emblazoned on the page the name of one of this year’s most accomplished HSHS’s honorees: Donna Dinse. As things go in this organization, Donna didn’t earn this honor on her own. She had many ADK members to learn from. And learn she did.
Donna came to ADK as so many before her, through the Sunday hikes. Never being an “outdoor kind of gal,” Donna was easily welcomed and encouraged by enthusiastic ADK members like Joanne Mitchell, Larry Reister, Dick Spade and Nate Yost, all of whom, perhaps unknown to them at the time, were grooming an amazing volunteer in an organization where Donna now thrives.
Class of 2011
Class of 2011
Class of 2011
Deni Charpentier
By Gary DeWitt
I am honored to introduce Deni Charpentier as a member of the High Summit Honor Society class of 2011. Deni has been a member of ADK’s Genesee Valley Chapter since 2001. In that short time, she has given a tremendous amount of her time and her expertise to our chapter.
A love of the outdoors is what first brought Deni to ADK. The friends she has made here have provided her with the confidence to extend her outdoor activities, traveling the world in search of adventure. The people she has met within ADK that share her interests and values of the outdoors have also provided her with new opportunities in paddling, hiking, and backpacking.
In the ten years Deni has been with the Genesee Valley Chapter, she has held a number of Executive Committee positions within the organization, as well as pitching in to help in several other capacities in addition. Deni is currently Programs Co-Chair. She has held the following positions at various times: Chapter Chair, Past Chair, Vice Chair, and six years as Treasurer. She has been the EXPO coordinator for two years, has organized volunteers for the last two years, and has also presented several workshops at Outdoor EXPO.
Deni has also pitched in when volunteers have been called for to help with developing a programs schedule, has been involved for a number of years in the nominating committee for the High Summit Honor Society, and has been involved in our Leadership Workshop.
I am sure I have missed some of the other contributions Deni has made, but the one thing that stands out is her smile and welcoming of all who come through the doors of the Eisenhart Auditorium for chapter meetings.
Please join me in congratulating Deni Charpentier as a member of the High Summit Honor Society in 2011.
Karin Töpfer
by Donna Dinse
Karin Töpfer’s love of hiking and skiing developed while growing up in Berlin. Her years at the University of Dresden included many trips to Saxon Switzerland, a sandstone gorge of the Elbe river south of Dresden, and the Riesengebirge (Giant) Mountains on the Polish-Czech border. Later, the Adirondacks would remind her of those beautiful places. From 1978- 1983 she pursued a university degree and in 1985, after an accelerated two years of study and research, earned her Ph.D. in physics. The wall partitioning Germany came down in 1989 and travel outside of East Germany was possible. Karin moved to London. From 1991 to 1997 she worked for Kodak and took advantage of the wonderful hiking opportunities in Great Britain and Scotland. In 1997 she moved to the Kodak research labs located in Rochester. Her work as research scientist in imaging continues. A source (Rob) quietly confided that Karin is regarded as something of a genius at work for her insightful problem solving ability.
Because Karin befriended some colleagues in London, who regularly visited Rochester and hiked in the Adirondacks, she arrived in New York already familiar with stories of the Adirondacks, ADK and 46ers! Karin joined ADK and started hiking. She finished 45 of the 46 High Peaks in three years, and the last, Allen, 2 years later. She was invited into the Trails Committee by Deb Fedele-Brown. When Karin became Trails Co-Chair in 2005, Deb continued to be her role model. Chairing the Trails Committee is one of the hardest jobs in ADK. It not only takes a member’s energy, effort and time, but the Chair also has to recruit other members to organize and lead trips as well. Karin was a tireless pursuer of hike leaders! Chairing Trails is also a vital job because so many people become more active members in ADK through their shared hiking experiences. During her two years as Trails Co-Chair there were always many away, as well as, local hiking opportunities offered.
Karin, herself, is a tireless hike leader. She has led not only a variety of winter/summer high peak and fire tower climbs, but also, cross country ski trips, a hut-to-hut backpack in the White Mountains and an excursion to the Shawangunk Ridge and the Hudson Valley. In addition she has led three Women’s Trips. The White Mountains have a special appeal for Karin. She finds the hut-to-hut hiking in the Presidential Range very reminiscent of hiking in Europe. Since stepping down as Co-Chair, she continues to work on the Trails Committee and to lead away trips. This summer she led a climb of Giant and Rocky Peak.
Karin has been active in other club activities. She has served on the Expo committee since 2008. Much of the beautiful photography for Expo and other chapter events is the result of Karin’s work and talent. She has taught in the Trip Leader Workshops. She is also a regular participant at events like National Trails Day, stewardship trips, and highway clean ups. She also leads Sunday Hikes. On the Winter Loj Trip, Karin usually invites people to join her and Rob on the more difficult hikes such as climbing Marcy in blinding wind conditions or breaking trail up to Marshall in brutal deep fresh snow. This winter, during the Loj trip, she is planning on finishing her Winter 46 on Upper Wolf Jaw!
Karin is also a world traveler from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle. She has hiked in Switzerland, Russia, Nepal, Norway, New Zealand, Iceland and Alaska. Her incredible determination surfaced when she made a return visit to hike in Patagonia after breaking her foot there on the first visit.
It has been a great privilege for me to know, hike with and learn from Karin. She is an exemplarity member of the chapter not only for her love of hiking but also her devotion to ADK. Congratulations, Karin!
Class of 2010
Class of 2010
Class of 2010
Mary Warchocki
Mary Warchocki
By Al Bushnell
Mary Warchocki joined the Genesee Valley Chapter in 2000 with the hope of finding others in the Rochester area that shared her enjoy- ment of the outdoors (and getting the discount at the Adirondack Loj for her upcoming trip to climb Mt. Marcy). Like many others in our chapter, her first introduction to the chapter was a Sunday hike, where she was impressed by the warm welcome she received from leader Dan Wilson and others.
Mary quickly began volunteering, first as the Work- shop Chair for Outdoor Expo, followed by two years serving as co-organizer of Expo with Rich Sensenbach. She then served as Vice-Chair for two years, often filling in for Chair Mollie Kane during the second year as Mollie prepared to move to California. Mary became Chair officially in September 2004 and followed that up as Past Chair for two years. Rather than take a break, Mary volunteered once again and served as Programs Co-Chair for three years, which resulted in her serving on the Executive Committee for eight continuous years! Even while filling these various leadership positions, Mary found time to lead hiking and backpacking trips, perform trail maintenance locally and in the Adirondacks, gather trash on the Highway Cleanup, participate in trip leader training, present workshops at Outdoor Expo, and serve on the nominating committee. Her efforts were previously recognized in 2004, when she received the Chapter Chair's Volunteer of the Year Award.
Among Mary's many accomplishments are becoming a 46er, completing the Adirondack Quest, summiting Mt. Whitney twice, and qualifying for the Boston Marathon in her first attempt. But the outdoor accomplishment this Florida woman takes the most pride in is not just surviving, but enjoying, camping in the dead of winter and becoming one of a relatively small group of women who are Winter 46ers. It's quite likely that others would have given up pursuing that goal if they had fallen into the bottomless spruce trap on Santanoni that snared Mary, who remained unbelievably calm while her eyes were just above snowline and her snowshoes were dangling in space, all while her fellow hikers insisted on taking photos before rescuing her. Mary credits partner Bill Crowe for introducing her to the amazing and magical beauty of the Adirondacks in winter.
We are very fortunate that Mary made the decision to check out our chapter as her leadership efforts have truly made a difference and undoubtedly will continue in the future.
Gary DeWitt
Gary DeWitt
By Deni Charpentier
Gary DeWitt first joined the Glens Falls chapter of ADK while he was working in the Lake George area in 1997. When he came home to the Rochester area he became a very active member of the Genesee Valley chapter. He chaired and co-chaired the Waterways Committee for a number of years and continues to participate on that committee. Gary is also a very active member of the Execu- tive Committee. Always there when needed, Gary agreed to accept the nomination for vice chair, but when asked by the nominating committee to serve as chapter chair instead, Gary graciously stepped up and filled that position. Gary continues to serve on the EC as Past Chair and he is currently Chair of the High Summit Honor Society Committee as well.
Gary loves to teach and has served the chapter and its members for years as a teacher of outdoors and leadership skills. He has been an instructor for the Outdoor Leadership Training Program every year that it has been offered since 2001. Gary took over organizing the program for the past couple of years and had a large part in overhauling and revising the Leadership Guide used in the training.
The list of workshops that Gary has started or participated in is amazing. He has been leading an entry-level canoe/kayak camping trip every year for the past 8 years. Because of all of the questions that resulted from that outing, Gary and Barb Brenner started teaching a canoe camping workshop. Gary has also been involved as an instructor in the winter backpacking workshop that Erv Tschanz offers every winter. On top of that are all of the many workshops that Gary does at Expo every year.
The list of committees Gary has actively participated on is long–Outdoor Expo, Mailing, Programs, Executive Committee, High Summit Honor Society, and Waterways. In addition to leading overnight canoe/kayak trips, Gary leads an annual series of cross-country ski outings in the local parks.
Gary enjoys canoe camping and backpacking with his wife, Susan, and with his dog, Gaele. Gaele carries her own tie-out, and food and water bowls in her backpack, and prefers canoeing to backpacking. (Gary didn't say what Susan prefers.) When Gary isn't having fun in the outdoors, he is a corporate trainer and product manager. He is now able to work from home doing internet-based training and customer support, but he is still on the road and out of town a considerable amount of time.
Gary likes the outdoor camaraderie that ADK offers and the diverse group of activities and people found locally. He really enjoys being with people who like to do things outdoors and has found ADKers to be a great bunch of dedicated people. He also likes the fact that the organization keeps tabs on environmental issues around the state. Gary loves his family, his dog, his work, the outdoors and (luckily for all of us) ADK. He very much deserves being selected as a member of the High Summit Honor Society and I am so pleased to be the person to summarize his contributions to ADK and to congratulate him on receiving this highest honor that we have in our chapter.
Steven Tryon
Steven Tryon
By Charlie Helman
Steve Tryon's introduction to ADK came from family camping adventures to the Adirondacks and from the seven summers he spent at a Christian Camp north of Speculator. While on these trips he was introduced to ADK.
When Steve joined the Genesee Valley chapter in December of 1999, the club's conservation efforts piqued his interest. Gradually, Steve began attending meetings, meeting other members and becom- ing more involved.
Purchasing a canoe in May 2001 prompted Steve to attend paddling events. The very next year he became co-chair of the Waterways Committee with Mike Cooper and evolved into the chair of that committee the following year. Since that time, he has again co-chaired the committee and has been an active participant and trip leader. Steve also became a member of the Executive Committee with his tenure as Waterways Chair.
In 2002 Steve began working with Don Baird on updating and maintaining the ADK-GVC web site. Eventually he took the task over completely and is the current webmaster. This is a huge job, updating events and bringing a new look to the site.
2005 was a big year for Steve, coming on board as Vice Chair and taking on responsibility as Outdoor Expo Chairperson. He has been a contributing member for our Outdoor Expo each year since. Steve has also served as one of our Alternate Direc- tors for multiple years.
When Steve was asked what his highlights with the chapter would be, he said it would be his efforts to continue to upgrade the web site, being Waterways and Expo Chairs, and leading paddling adventures from Panorama Plaza on Irondequoit Creek up to the bay.
By Bruce Tehan
Magnanimity, intelligence, humor, integrity, and dedication, these are just a few words that spring to mind when thinking of Dave Harrison. As a member of the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club, Dave has served in numerous roles including Trip Leader, Executive Committee Secretary, and Conservation Chairperson. Dave is now embarking on his new position as Chapter Chairperson.
In all of Dave's roles with ADK he has tirelessly advocated for the protection of our natural resources. Dave has headed special committees, represented the club at many functions, conducted research, and written well-crafted documents on behalf of the club and the environment. One example of Dave's advocacy was his influence in the creation of the "Friends of Bald Mountain" whose dedicated members have restored the mountain's historic fire tower. This fire tower is enjoyed by Adirondack hikers of all ages.
Dave has also donated huge amounts of elbow grease on behalf of ADK. Whether along Rt. 531, in a Monroe County Park, or deep in the Adirondacks, Dave has led or participated in countless work parties: picking up litter, conducting trail work, and repairing lean-tos.
In addition to his official acts of volunteerism, Dave has performed innumerable acts of kindness for his fellow club members. If you ask people about Dave they will not only mention the great things he has done for the club but will also mention the personal happiness he has brought to its members. Dave is a fine person to have as a friend and he has been a true friend to the ADK community.
Judy Immesoete
Judy Immesoete
By Jim Bird
If there is one word that sums up Judy's contributions to the Genesee Valley Chapter and ADK in general, it is "enthusiasm"! Ten years ago, she became involved in both paddling and hiking outings with our chapter, and she credits the enthusiasm of others with building her interest in further participation. And did she ever participate!
Very quickly and successfully she became a co-chair of membership for the chapter. This, of course, placed her on the local executive committee where she expanded her contributions over the next 9 years to include service in areas such as: nominating committee, Winterfest, Outdoor Expo (food guru), hike leadership, presentation of two programs at chapter meetings, and conception and leadership of GVC Women's trip (sorry, guys…it really is "women only"). She was named volunteer of the year for 2004–2005, and she has organized the chapter's Adirondac Loj winter trip for 8 years (a very big job)! In her spare time she became "46er" number 6291.
About 6 years ago, Judy became a member of the "Main Club" Board of Directors, representing our chapter. This led her to involvement on the nominating and membership committees at the state level, as well as participation in work weekends at the Heart Lake property and fund raising events such as the recent "Black Fly Affair." As part of these events, for several years she prepared the chapter baskets so beautifully done and donated for the entire club. She joined the "Main Club" executive committee 2 years ago and has made insightful contributions to the overall club.
She will be quick to tell you of newly acquired skills such as scraping and painting chairs, raking campsites, cleaning out lean-tos, and splitting wood at the Loj. She will also be quick to credit those of our members who encouraged and helped her as she became involved as a leader not only of the chapter, but also of the club as a whole. But it is her enthusiasm and energy that will strike you and inspire you to join as a volunteer for the organization. In her own words: "I have been taught so I can teach; I have been encouraged so I can in turn encourage; and I have witnessed friendship being born and supported. We have a unique organization in ADK, one I am proud to be a part of." And we can all say, "Thank you SO much, Judy, for all you have done for the Chapter and the Club!"
Margaret (and Ken) Reek
Margaret (and Ken) Reek
By Deni Charpentier
Margaret Reek is the kind of member that volunteer-dependent organizations dream about. Very soon after joining ADK-GVC, Margaret began to take on leadership roles.
When I requested an interview with Margaret, as an inductee into the High Summit Honor Society, she was just a bit reluctant because she was embarrassed by the spotlight. I spent a pleasant evening with Margaret and her husband Ken sitting around a campfire in the Catskills after a day of hiking with them and discovered the tremendous variety of contributions that Margaret has made to our chapter. She emphasized that Ken has played a large part in these contributions.
Margaret joined ADK in 1997 and began attending Sunday Hikes where she and Ken met lots of people and really got involved. She started leading Sunday Hikes in 2000 with their now famous annual Pancake Hike.
Margaret's many contributions to the chapter include being a Trails Committee member; Trails Committee co-chair for 2 years; Saturday Hike coordinator since inception in 2005; trip leader for many hikes with Ken – including summer and winter Fire Tower Challenge and Adirondack Quest trips; Expo committee member and workshop presenter (food dehydrating and geo-caching); coordination of the maintenance of our chapter's section of the Finger Lakes Trail for about 7 years with Ken; National Trails Day projects and hikes; presentations at Chapter Meetings on Africa, Yosemite and Yellowstone (with Ken); Fall Outing 2004 trip leader with Ken; she and Ken helped rewrite the Trip Leader training manual and were trainers for a number of years.
Margaret has introduced people to the joys of trails and hiking by leading beginner hikes for the Member's Picnics as well as beginner hikes for National Trails Day and beginner snowshoe clinics in association with Winterfest.
A style of hiking that Margaret has developed called "Miles in Style" and SIMPLER (acronym for Sleep In Motels, Play Leisurely, Eat in Restaurants) has many benefits. "Economies in many places are tenuous and hikers can have a bad reputation for bringing their own peanut butter sandwiches and not doing anything for the economy. Eating out and buying groceries locally help the economy, our image, and it's easy!"
A Professor of Computer Science at RIT (and acting Department Head on 2 occasions), Margaret retired in 2004 after working there for 23 years. She received the Outstanding Teacher Award and is proud to say that Ken got the award 2 years later and that they are the only couple in the history of RIT to both receive this award. They both attended RIT as students and Margaret and Ken taught in the same department for over 20 years. In order to assist their students further, they established a scholarship to help students attending RIT with expenses. Margaret and Ken have been married for 33 years and they have a wonderful partnership. Margaret emphasizes that most of her contributions to ADK are shared with Ken – Margaret instigates and plans and Ken helps implement. She told me that she "wishes Ken was included in the award, as so much of the stuff we did together".
Other interests and accomplishments that Margaret has include: participation in 6 week-long trail crews as a member of the Alley Cat Trail Maintenance Crew for the Finger Lakes Trail Conference; she is a FLT end-to-ender; has completed the Fire Tower Challenge and the Adirondack Quest; currently vice president of the Genesee Valley Quilt Club (oldest continuously meeting quilt club in the U.S.); active in the American Sewing Guild as a neighborhood group leader and workshop teacher. Margaret likes variety in everything that she does and loves to try new things including travel and eating ethnic foods.
When asked "what do you like about ADK?" Margaret answered "I like the people". Margaret's philosophy is "things need to be done and you do them". Our chapter has certainly had the benefit of her willingness to step up and contribute.
Class of 2008
Class of 2008
Class of 2008
Bill Crowe
Bill Crowe
By Mary Warchocki
Since the mid 1970's, Bill Crowe has been a member of the Genesee Valley Chapter of the ADK. For many years he regularly attended the programs meetings and followed the club's stance on important issues including conservation and education. At the urging of his close friend, Gordon Robinson, he became active as a volunteer in the chapter in the 1990's. Initially he started attending Trails Committee meetings and leading chapter hikes. Then in 1999 he accepted the position on the Executive Committee as the Newsletter Editor. While on the EC, he continued leading hikes and outings for the Trails Committee. He also became a regular fixture at the biannual Highway Clean Up. In 2000, Bill was elected Chapter Chair. Under Bill's leadership as the Chapter Chair, the Younger Member's Committee was created, the Members' Day event evolved into a "Pot Luck Picnic" and the Bald Mountain Fire Tower restoration committee was formed.
Bill served two terms as the Chapter Chair, two terms as the Past Chair, one term as Secretary and one as Chapter Treasurer, and has also served as an Alternate Director for the chapter. Bill has also been an active volunteer in the Outdoor Expo...both on the planning committee itself and also as a workshop presenter on using a map and compass. Bill is known for his calm leadership style often leading challenging winter trips that involve plenty of route finding and bushwacking galore, but also has led many beginner trips helping chapter newbies become comfortable and familiar with backpacking and outdoor skills. I owe my love of winter backpacking to Bill who both introduced me to this sport, and educated and supported my skill building along the way.
Bill is a 46R and Winter 46R. He has recently completed his Adirondack Quest. He has also been a longtime active member of the Rochester Winter Mountaineer Society. Bill is an avid runner and road biker. Not much slows him down these days.
Rich Sensenbach
Rich Sensenbach
By Karen Malecki
Rich Sensenbach has been a member of our chapter since 1996. At that time he had children at home and found it difficult to find the time to do the things he wanted to do with the chapter because the children's events took precedence. So he fit in a highway clean up here and there and led some Sunday hikes and evening paddles.
In 2001 Rich dove head first into the Executive Committee. He states he has met some of the best people he knows and has worked with on this committee. He began serving as Publicity Chairman and served two terms from 2001 to 2004 and is currently, once again, in this position. He mentions that he enjoys working with the publications personnel at the Democrat & Chronicle; in particular with Gary Fallesen.
You may recall reading his articles in the Geneseean when he wrote to encourage us to help organize and partake in the annual Expo. He gleams when he describes the enjoyment he sees in those who attend; some discovering what the club and chapter have to offer for the first time. Rich likes it so much he keeps coming back for more having served as events coordinator in 2001, club coordinator in 2002, as co-chair with Mary Warchocki in 2003 and 2004 and then publicity coordinator in 2005 – 2009. It's people like Rich, with true dedication to this event, who have really made it the success it is today.
Rich was also our Vice Chairman in 2004, advancing to Chairman from 2005 to 2007 and continued on the Executive Committee serving as Past Chair. He, of course, could not be Past Chair any longer, so he volunteered to be our Publicity Chairman again in 2008!
His love for the outdoors has influenced his children. He once led a trip with his 10 year old son who he encouraged to help make planning decisions. Taking his 3 children on canoe trips to the Allagash in Northern Maine was one of his family highlights; paddling in the 100 miles of lakes and rivers.
One of his most memorable trips with the chapter occurred six years ago when his oldest son returned from serving in Afghanistan. His son called him asking; "Dad, what are you doing this weekend? I was hoping we could get together and do something?" Rich told Ben that he had already made plans to climb Whiteface and Ester Mountains on Al Bushnell's un-obsessed trip and invited him to come along. Rich said he could see Ben relaxing as they climbed; the tension melting away. When Rich described this to me I thought; ADK does wondrous things for so many of us!
Rich is truly a dedicated and encouraging volunteer who is worthy of High Summit Honor Society status. He beyond a doubt deserves it!
Dan Wilson
Dan Wilson
By Jim Bird
Sunday hikes have become such a major tradition for the Genesee Valley Chapter that they can be credited for bringing in and keeping hundreds, if not thousands of members over the last 10-15 years. They have provided recreation and social interaction for a very large number of our members to the point that there are Sunday hike marriages and Sunday hike children (after the marriages, of course)! It would be hard to find an institution in our chapter more important than these weekly outings! Members know that consistently week in and week out, there will be an interesting (and usually challenging) hike to enjoy with members of similar interests. Such events don't "just happen". They take dedicated, selfless leadership. It is just this that Dan Wilson has brought to the chapter.
Dan actually started leading Sunday hikes with Dick Spade in 1992 a little before he actually joined the chapter. Since then a reasonable estimate of the number of these events led or co-led by Dan would be over 500! And he still continues to contribute to them. Dan has led many other hikes both close to Rochester and farther afield.
In addition to leading hikes, Dan has been instrumental in making them enjoyable and even possible through his many contributions to trail development and maintenance in the Monroe County Parks. This has involved the layout, establishment, and marking of many of the trails in the "Rifle Range" portion of Ellison Park, plus new trails in Black Creek Park, Mendon Ponds Park, Oatka Creek Park, and Greece Canal Park. He directed the construction of a new trail and drainage work in Turning Point Park, as well. Leadership of weekly trail maintenance work during the colder months of the year in nearly all the county parks is another of Dan's contributions. This has been underway for at least 7 years.
Those who know Dan well know that he is also a quiet, behind-the-scenes contributor of his considerable skills (plus tools and materials) who always shuns the limelight. He has provided the labor, planning, engineering, preparation, and installation leadership of such things as the steps on the trails in the Rifle Range and the bridges for the trails in Greece Canal Park. One recent example of his craftsmanship and generosity is the beautifully designed and executed trail kiosk at the north entrance to the trails of the Rifle Range portion of Ellison Park. This was another of his contributions over the last several years to the National Trails Day events.
As if all the trail-related work weren't enough, Dan has also served as Education Chair for two years...and he even led several paddling trips in recent years.
Without doubt, Dan has contributed major enhancements to the local chapter activities, as well as to the community at large.
By Mark Baker
In August of 1992, wearing mostly cotton and not really knowing what he was getting himself into, a fledgling climber named Al Bushnell ascended Phelps Mountain in the Adirondack High Peaks with the help of a close friend, his Golden Retriever Jasmine. Al was there thanks to two close friends (and fellow ADK'ers), Rich and Jean Brown, who introduced him to hiking in the high peaks, paddling (and goldens). Little did he know at the time that this one climb would launch a hiking and climbing career that is truly worthy of the High Summit Honor Society.
In just over two years, he became a 46R on Whiteface in September of 1994. In March of 2001 he finished his Winter 46 on Mt. Marcy. 2002 saw him finish the Northeast 111 on Katahdin and in July 2000 he reached the summit of Mt. Rainier in Washington. Al has also hiked the Wonderland around Mt. Rainier. Add in several editions of his "Marcy Madness" hikes, 10 years of his "Unobsessed" series of hikes which allowed several people to ascend high peaks where they may not otherwise have been able to, and several excursions to Pennsylvania's many trails and you begin to understand how impressive his hiking years have been.
But Al has also contributed to ADK through his leadership and organizational skills as well. Shortly after going on his first official ADK trip in June 1993, Len Stein encouraged him to join the Mailing Committee for the Geneseean. In 1994, Al joined the trails committee and he served as Trails Chair from 1995 to 1998. His work as Trails Chair led to him receiving the Volunteer of the Year award in 1996. Al went on to serve as Chapter Chair from 1998 to 2000 and on the programs committee in 2003. Al currently serves on the programs committee. He's also the only person who's been involved in every Outdoor Expo going back to the days when it was known as the "Spring Fling" either serving on the committee or presenting various workshops.
"ADK has been a great experience" he says. Through the club he has led countless trips, made some of his best friends, and met his wife Kim. It's fitting that he's now part of the High Summit Honor Society which, by the way, he created.
Michael Dobner
Michael Dobner
By Bill Crowe
Michael Dobner says that he became active in ADK after much encouragement from Jack Freeman (a common theme with Dave Newman's experience) and that his initial activities were as a member of the Conservation Committee. In the 80's, that committee adopted the West Canada Lakes Wilderness and Mike went on many trips to that area doing trail and lean-to maintenance. From there, Mike went on to serve on the chapter's Executive Committee for a period of more than 10 years. He held the positions of Programs Chair, Trails Chair and Vice Chair and, in 1988, Mike became Chapter Chair. For 2 years after serving as Chair, he served as a chapter Governor.
Mike was an active backpacker during those years and became and became an Adirondack 46er in 1992. He was also active in the Rochester Winter Mountaineering Society. He led many ADK backpacks and canoe outings and led a series of the chapter's first beginner backpack weekends in the High Tor area. These backpacks were very popular with as many as 20 people participating.
In 1997, the 75th anniversary of ADK's founding, Mike co-chaired the committee to host the ADK Annual Meeting Weekend here in Rochester. Organizing this event was a huge effort to undertake. Besides the ADK Annual Meeting itself, there were hikes, paddles, and a variety of workshops to attend. The DEC Commissioner was the keynote speaker Evening entertainment included the Dady Brothers and bagpipers. The result was a big success with approximately 300 people attending. This event required such a huge effort to organize that finding other chapters to take it on after 1997 became too difficult. As a result, 1997 was the final ADK Annual Meeting.
Mike is living near Mendon Ponds Park with his wife Barbara and their three year old son. His outdoor activities are more limited these days but he cycles on the roads all over our area whenever he gets the chance. Mike told me that he really enjoyed his active ADK years. He made a lot of great friends during that time and learned a lot from those experiences.
Karen Malecki
Karen Malecki
By Rich Sensenbach
I've know Karen Malecki for a number of years both through the ADK as well as work. While I knew she was an active member in the chapter; it wasn't until we were going through our notes on nominations for the High Summit Honor Society that I realized just how active Karen has been. Karen has been in the Genesee Valley Chapter since the mid 1980's. During that time she has had many positions and seen many changes in our chapter. She started as Publicity chair, and then moved on to Membership chair twice for a total of 4 years. During that time, the twice a year member's picnic tradition was started that continues to this day. She also added 1,000 new members by plastering flyer's in local libraries, Laundromats, stores, colleges and any other place else they didn't throw her out of. After that Karen moved on to Vice-chair for 2 years before moving up to Chapter Chair and then following that became one of our chapter's representatives on the Main Clubs Board of Directors. During this time, Karen also found time to lead chapter trips as well as going on a number of them.
Of the trips Karen has lead, her favorite has always been to the "Grand Canyon of the East" in Pennsylvania, no bugs. While Karen has done a number of the High Peaks, she is not a 46R. She has gone to both Alaska and Yellowstone on trips with the ADK and Pack, Paddle, Ski. Talking with Karen; I asked her what her most memorable trips were over the years. Canoeing in Algonquin was her first choice. Many West Canada Lakes trips with Laurel Newman and Cathy Wall doing their annual checks on their adopted lean-tos came to mind. Karen also talked about a trip to Lake Lila with Dave Mundie and Barb Brenner that was spent in a cloud of Black Flies! That's also why she liked Dave's winter Loj trips - NO BUGS! Finally there was the infamous "moose tracking" trip to Cranberry Lake; where Karen would like to make it very clear to everyone that she was not the one who held out a bag of moose droppings and said "Want some chocolate covered raisins?" to the ranger! And yes; he did take a handful without looking and we've heard that he has since given up chocolate covered raisins.
David Newman
David Newman
By Barb Brenner
In 1984 Dave Newman became part of the Genesee Valley Chapter's Executive Committee and in 1997 he was still on the Executive Committee. For the span between ‘84 and ‘97, Dave was on the Executive Committee 14 out of 15 years and assumed 7 different positions. For the remaining 1 year he was very active in the chapter as a member of the Conservation Committee.
Dave joined ADK in the late 70's and attributes his active involvement in the chapter to Jack Freeman. To quote Dave: "Whether going on a first trip or getting involved in a committee, Jack was the one that talked us into doing stuff and then we found out it was fun."
In 1984 Dave was the Publications Chair, responsible for the publishing the newsletter. In 1985 he stepped up to the Chapter Vice-Chair position, in 1986 he was Chapter Chair and in 1987 he was supportive to the EC by fulfilling the role of the Past Chair. Following his chairmanship years, Dave was in charge of programs for the monthly meetings from 1988 to 1991, a Governor from '92 to '95, and the Conservation Committee's Co-Chair from '95-'97.
In addition to Dave's many roles on the EC he also led numerous backpacking, paddling, and bike trips. In 1987, Dave led a series of winter trips for the chapter. In 1983 and 1986 he participated in revising the Chapter's bylaws and for many years he was a leader for the Chapter's Beginner Backpacking Workshop.
Dave is a 46R, number #2143, and has climbed 31 of the 46 High Peaks in the winter with the Rochester Winter Mountaineering Society.
The Genesee Valley Chapter is an important part of Dave's life. Through ADK he met Laurel Wall, also a very active member of the chapter and the sister of his good friend Doug Wall. They were married in September 1990 and their wedding was attended by many ADK friends. In 1994, another very important event captured his attention – the birth of his son. Dave and Laurel share their love of the out-of-doors with their son Pete. After Pete was born Dave and Laurel continued to actively participate in the chapter, but Dave "now understands why people with kids disappear from ADK for a while." Dave has been actively introducing his son to the out-of-doors by being a Cub Scout /Boy Scout leader since 2000.
What would Dave like to say about his years of volunteering with ADK? "I have met all of my best friends there – including my wife. It has been good."
We agree Dave – it has been good. Thank you for your many years of contributions to our Chapter.
Edgar W. Trainer
Edgar W. Trainer
By Daan Zwick
At the end of WWII Edgar and Leona Trainer came to Rochester where Ed began a job as an electronics engineer at the Eastman Kodak Apparatus Division. I do not know what effect Ed had on Kodak's fortunes, but he and Lee left a lasting mark on our hiking and canoeing community.
I first met the Trainers through the Genesee Valley Hiking Club (GVHC), as they became active hikers and trip leaders with that group. At that time this local organization confined itself mostly to hiking activities. By the fifties, the Trainers, along with Ellsworth Stein, began adding canoe outings to the GVHC schedule of Sunday hikes, with leisurely paddles on local class I streams and lakes. This soon expanded to longer trips on Adirondack waters, and ventures on class II streams. Lawrence Grinnell's "Canoeable Waterways of New York State" was our bible, and the classical open canoe was our vehicle. (The one German couple paddling a collapsible fold-boat was the closest we came to a kayak in those days.)
Ed and Leona revolutionized that when they appeared with a C-2 "banana boat", a covered canoe with two cockpits and spray skirts for the kneeling paddlers. They could easily handle the Class III waters that swamped our open canoes, and it was not long before covered canoes and kayaks outnumbered open canoes.
By the 1960's our Genesee Valley Chapter of ADK had been founded, in good measure from Ed Trainer's efforts, with white-water canoeing a distinctive part of its activities. Ed was active on Chapter committees, including waterways conservation and cooperation with the newly-established Finger Lakes Trail Conference. A few landmarks in Ed's ADK organizational activities include Chapter Chair in 1969-1970 and 1976-1977, and ADK Governor in1970-1971. During part of this period, Lee formed and chaired a committee that has relevance today- its goal was to interest younger people in joining the Chapter.
I remember climbing with Ed and Leona on Gray Peak in an October snowstorm, as Ed was trying to get another peak in his quest for the "46". (Ed got 45 of them.) I also skied with Ed and Lee at Swain where they performed duties as National Ski Patrollers for many years. They built a small cabin on a hillside across from the ski area, to make the patrolling more convenient.
I also worked with Ed as he labored to establish a link of the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) through the Swain valley. He did the full bi with FLT founder Wally Wood, scouting out the route, working to secure landowner's permission, and eventually clearing, blazing, and maintaining several miles of the trail.
By the 1980s Ed had retired from Kodak and moved with Lee to Skaneateles. They continued an active life until injuries and Lee's failing health, including a stroke in 1992, put Ed in the position of primary caregiver. They moved to Ithaca where Ed helped to finish a new home next door to their daughter, Susan, and volunteered with the Paleontological Research Institute, thus continuing a hobby that he and Lee had enjoyed for many years.
I am late with this nomination, for Ed died last March at the age of 91. However, I hope that membership in the High Summit s Honor Society will help to keep Ed's memory fresh, especially in the minds of those not fortunate enough to have known him.
By Rich Sensenbach
Joanne Mitchell and her husband, Gary moved to Rochester in February of 1967, both with jobs in the Kodak Research Laboratories. Her first boss was Daan Zwick, who is also being inducted into the HSHS at this time. Daan told them about the ADK and they joined the fairly small group that existed back then. It was so small that chapter meetings were held in a High School library. They became active spring canoers and eventually hikers as well. They have maintained their membership without a break since 1967, although they were not very active in the chapter when their children were small.
Off and on through the years Joann has been on newsletter labeling and mailing committees as well as various other short term committees. She has lead numerous local hikes as well as doing workshops at Expo for at least the last 4 years. Joanne has been a very active volunteer for Braddock Bay Raptor Research for the last 8 years. She is one of the people who cares for and feeds the non-releasable hawks, turkey vulture, falcon, and owls. She is also one of the educators who goes to schools, nursing homes, and other locations with live birds and gives educational programs.
In September of 2000, Joanne took over editing and publishing the Geneseean and is still going strong. In addition; she has been the editor for the Genesee Valley Audubon Society newsletter for over 10 years and editor for the newsletter of the Friends of the Greece Library for 3 years.
Jackson E. Thomas
Jackson E. Thomas
By Barb Brenner
Imagine being responsible for our chapter's bookstore: ordering merchandise, setting up the bookstore, returning all of the merchandise to storage, taking inventory, handling the finances, passionately showcasing items for sale at each chapter meeting and enthusiastically presenting the chapter's monthly raffle item to the winning audience member. Also, imagine doing that for 10 chapter meetings a year, for 16 years in a row. Jackson E. Thomas has done just that.
Jackson joined the chapter in 1987 and became the bookstore chair in 1991. When asked what he liked most about being the bookstore chair, his response was "helping people choose". His dedication to helping others is evident by his commitment to the bookstore and our chapter
In addition to the bookstore duties, Jackson is our chapter's first Statistician, compiling information from the trip waiver forms. He coordinates the aspiring 46ers in our chapter and, for several years, has been an Alternate Director.
In 2004 Jackson was the Registrar for the Fall Conference hosted by our chapter. To quote Ken Harbison who was the Conference Chair "Jackson was the Registrar (BIG job), handling the records and forwarding checks. He also led a trip for 12 participants to Thousand Acre Swamp. In addition, he took pictures at the banquet and posted them on the ADK website. His efforts were greatly appreciated."
Jackson has been on the program committee for the last 2 years hosting and introducing speakers and has given slide shows on the topics of Hiking in the High Peaks and on the 2005 Lodge Trip. His commitment to the chapter continues beyond all of this as he and his wife, Shirley, recently joined the Newsletter committee.
Jackson's commitment to our chapter has been steady, extensive, and member since '87.
James A. Bird
James A. Bird
By Mary Warchocki
In 2002, the ADK Main Club finances were in grave trouble. That's when they called in the "experts" forming a special emergency committee to revise the club's finances in January of 2003. Jim Bird, then Director of the GVC, and several other committee members were successful in turning things around at the Main Club level. Jim went on to serve on a NYS DEC partnered committee to build a new Information Center while also investigating alternatives for changes/improvements to the Adirondac Loj and property. Because of his expertise, he was asked to join the Main Club's Finance Committee where he served for 4 years helping to build a strong financial base in the club. Jim is now serving as the current Vice President of the Main Club and has served on its Executive Committee for 4 years.
In our own Chapter, Jim has served two terms as Chapter Chair, one term as Vice Chapter Chair and six years as a Governor/Director for our Chapter. He has been a member of the ADK for over 30 years, and was instrumental in starting a leadership development program/committee for the Chapter. Jim has led numerous trips for both the Chapter and Main Club including several extended trips (sea kayaking in the Maine Islands, paddles on the Green River in Utah and the Allagash Wilderness River). Jim has been a visible presence at the annual Outdoor Expo in Mendon Ponds as a safety boater.
So with all of this long resume of ADK experience, you might ask 'What hasn't Jim done?' Let me know if you come up with an answer as I sure couldn't.
Daan Zwick
Daan Zwick
By Jerry Hargrave
I first met Daan Zwick in the 1970's kayaking as he led his March Annual 'Oatka Creek Icebreaker'. I tipped, swam, froze, yet I was forever hooked on whitewater and ADK much because of Daan.
Daan and his wife Janis have two daughters, one in Rochester, the other in Colorado
While researching Daan Zwick I Googled his name. I was surprised to get 90 pages of accomplishments. At 84 he hasn't slowed down much. Daan started his outdoor career as a Boy Scout hiking the Green Mountain Long Trail. In 1938, at the ripe old age pf 15 he was the youngest Green mountain member to maintain a lodge for the whole hiking season. He lived in and maintained the Taylor lodge for another season. He went on for three more seasons in 1939 to 1941 to maintain Taft lodge which had 32 beds. At the end of every hiking season as caretaker, he had to carry all the mattresses and blankets over the pass to Mt. Mansfield hotel for storage so the mice wouldn't nest in them over the winter. Daan also served as caretaker on Mt. Mansfield where he made $75 per season.
Daan attended University of Vermont and graduated with a BS in Chemistry. He decided to try industry and took a one year job as Chemist for Kodak. Thus one year turned into a 42 year career. But this brought Daan to us here in Rochester where he started hiking with Genesee Valley Hiking Club. He became involved with ADK during hikes at the Lodge.
Besides working for our chapter, Daan served many years on Alpine Ski patrol at Hunt Hollow. He also served for many years on Genesee Valley Nordik Ski Patrol at Pechlers Palmyra, Mendon Ponds Park, Durand Eastman Park, Cummings Nature Center, Harriet Hollister Park, and Powder Mills Park. He was a Greece volunteer ambulance member for 33 years. He was their first EMT.
Daan is a Life member of: Adirondack Mountain Club, Genesee Valley Chapter, Genesee Valley Hiking Club, Green Mountain Club, Finger Lakes Trail assn. and many other organizations.
Daan was Genesee Valley Chapter President for two years. He served on the trails committee and Conservation committee for years. He has worked many days clearing the Finger Lakes Trail.
Daan lead several High peak traverses. He led a photography trip to Johns Brook lodge. For two winters Daan staffed the warming hut at Johns brook for a week each year. He has lead many hikes including Sunday hikes. He has lead many canoe trips including a 4 weekend canoe outing called the 'the physics of canoeing'.
Daan presented many Genesee Valley Chapter presentations including movies and side shows on Austria, Switzerland, Grand Canyon by dory, Konkani BC, and a program called 'My First half century of skiing'. Whenever Daan was on the schedule to present we packed the house.
For the main club, Daan took charge of Central NY and also part of Western NY contributing the revised ADK Guide book 'Canoe guide of central and Western NY. He also took parting the comprehensive DEC inventory and survey of NY Rivers.
Daan has recently hiked Yellowstone National Park, the Hawaiian islands, and to the top of Mount Mansfield, where he was a summit caretaker for a week in the 1990's.
In the last 84 years Daan has worked as a Lodge keeper, shipyard worker, rock driller for dynamite holes, a chemist and a physicist. Yet he has made time to support all these recreation and conservation activities.
As my friends age, they often say 'I have to cut back on something. I can't do everything.' Well here is a guy who still does it all.
Lawrence G. Newman
Lawrence G. Newman
By Al Bushnell
Lawrence G. Newman has been a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club since 1982. He has been volunteering for nearly as long. His brother Dave first introduced him to ADK and then quickly got him involved as a volunteer affixing mailing labels to, and proof-reading articles for, the 'Geneseean'.
Among some of his other efforts for ADK is serving as a valuable member of both our Chapter's Trails Committee and Conservation Committee for over twenty years! In addition, he has been a member of the Main Club's Trails Committee since 1992. He has also been picking up trash twice a year on our adopted section of Route 531 since our Chapter first became involved with the Highway Cleanup program in the mid '90's.
But probably where Larry has made his biggest impact is building and maintaining trails. Locally he has been doing trail work as a member of the Finger Lakes Trail Conference for 23 years. He has also spent many years working on local trails such as the Rifle Range Trail with other Genesee Valley Chapter members and has assisted the Genesee Valley Hiking Club with their trail work efforts. The Main Club believes he has participated in nearly every ADK-sponsored trail work project over the past twenty-plus years. A 46'er since 1988, he has spent well over 1000 hours doing trail work in the High Peaks for the 46'ers.
Larry was selected Vibrum's Volunteer of the Year for the State of New York in 1996, awarded to the one individual in each state whose tireless efforts in creating and maintaining hiking trails stand out among those of all other volunteers. In 2005, he received ADK's Distinguished Volunteer Award, given 'in recognition of a lifetime of activity and effort'.
When asked what he enjoys doing most in the outdoors, Larry quickly responded by saying 'hiking and trail work'. He is nearing completion of hiking the 560 mile Finger Lakes Trail. He admitted that most of his backpacking trips have been in conjunction with trail work projects. Larry was quick to mention that he has hiked and worked with a lot of nice people over the years.
The next time you're hiking on a well maintained trail in the High Peaks, you might want to thank Larry. While we can't say for certain, there is a very good possibility that some part of the trail you're enjoying is a result of the literally thousands of hours that Larry has invested.
By Al Bushnell
Barb Brenner became a member of the Genesee Valley Chapter in 1987 and almost immediately began to take advantage of what the Club had to offer. She admits that when she first joined ADK, she went on trips. Lots of trips. Her first volunteer effort for the Chapter actually came about when the leader of a canoe trip to Follensby Pond she had signed up for was unable to go and asked Barb if she would consider becoming a substitute trip leader instead of a trip participant. Barb enjoyed that first experience as a leader and has continued to lead trips ever since. Over the years, her canoeing, hiking, backpacking, and snowshoeing adventures have taken many of us along on her ‘wanders’ and day trips in local parks to multi-day trips in the Adirondacks and Canada. Her enjoyment of leading outdoor trips eventually led her to Pack Paddle Ski, where she has led nearly 100 trips over the years.
Barb has done much more for our Chapter than just lead trips. She became Programs Chair in the Fall of 1991 and served in that position until leaving in the Spring of 1992 to successfully pursue her dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. While on the trail, The Sunrise Hiker (Barb) wrote a series of journal entries that appeared each month in the Geneseean. After returning home, she shared even more of her trail experiences by presenting a wonderful program at one of our monthly meetings. The program was so well received, it was repeated a few years later. In the Fall of '94, Barb began a one-year term as our Chapter Chair. During the same period of time, she was driving force behind the creation of our Chapter’s Outdoor Activity Guide. Most recently, Barb served as Programs Chair for two years, 2002-2004.
Being an educator by profession and at heart, Barb enjoys sharing her knowledge of the outdoors with the Chapter not only by leading trips but by also conducting and contributing to workshops. These workshops have included such topics as general backpacking, winter backpacking, trip leadership, introduction to canoe camping, and raingear. She has also been a presenter in a number of the Outdoor Expos, offering hands-on clinics for survival and map & compass. Her teaching style and enthusiasm makes attending her workshops a very enjoyable & rewarding experience (even though a few of us still haven't mastered the art of starting a fire by rubbing two sticks together).
While Barb has enjoyed all of her volunteering with the Genesee Valley Chapter, her favorite is still leading trips. Our Chapter is fortunate to have had her for so many years!
Bob Goodwin
Bob Goodwin
By Ken Harbison
Bob Goodwin joined ADK in 1974 and became Chapter chair in 1993. He has served as Treasurer several times, Governor, Venturing leader, and chair of the Chapter’s Finger Lakes Trail committee. He maintained the Chapter mailing list for many years. He has led numerous hiking, backpacking, and canoe trips, including “Hills and Pond” hikes in the Adirondacks. His cottage on Great Sacandaga Lake has served as home base for many of these hikes. In 1990, Bob received the Volunteer of the Year Award from GVC.
Bob and Margi moved from Rochester to the Adirondacks in 2001, but have kept ties with the Genesee Valley Chapter. They have often hosted Directors and others from GVC for ADK Board meetings, committee meetings, and other events.
Bob has been serving the main club for many years as Chair of the Investment committee and on the Finance and Development committees. He currently volunteers about two days a week at ADK Headquarters, handling e-mail inquiries and working on the ADK website. He has created the digital photo library and a “Hikes you might like” section on the website. He organized thousands of handwritten membership forms Bob received the ADK Distinguished Volunteer Award in 2003 for his many volunteer efforts to the main club.
Now living near Moreau State Park, he has helped build trails there and hikes regularly. He and Jack Freeman have measured and developed descriptions of the trails in Moreau Park to be included in the next edition of the ADK Southern Guide The two are also authoring an article on trails for an upcoming Adirondac magazine.
Jerry Hargrave
Jerry Hargrave
By Bill Crowe
Jerry Hargrave joined our chapter in 1979 and was extremely active for the next seventeen years. One of his first tasks was to take on the job as Pool Practice coordinator in 1981. The following year he became Outings Chair. In those years Trails and Waterways were handled by one Outings Committee. Jerry initiated an Outings Hotline in 1983, a Paddler’s Hotline in 1987 and the Paddler’s Picnic in 1984. When the chapter split Outings into Trails and Waterways in 1988, Jerry continued as the first Waterways Chair. He remained in that position until 1996. His resignation ended fourteen consecutive years as Outings and Waterways Chairs.
During his active ADK years, Jerry led many whitewater outings in New York State and elsewhere. He was an extremely active paddler, often going most if not every weekend.
Jerry received GVC’s Chapter’s Volunteer of the Year (also known as Chair Award) award in both 1988 and 1991.
Throughout his active years with ADK, Jerry was a very active advocate for waterways access and conservation throughout New York State. More recently, Jerry continued this work with American Whitewater and as Conservation and Access Committee Chairperson for the Finger Lakes Ontario Watershed Paddlers’ Club.
Dave Newman who was Chapter Chair in the early 80’s, says: “I think it fair to say Jerry disliked meetings. Maybe even hated them. He would far rather have been out playing in the water, on a date with someone who shared his outdoor excitement, or with his beloved kids. Many of his fellow paddlesports enthusiasts were the same way...but it was always Jerry, for years, who stepped up to the plate and came to the meetings, trying his best to integrate the watersports community, especially the whitewater contingent, in with the hikers, campers, flatwater canoeists and peakbaggers of the Genesee Valley Chapter. He didn’t always get a lot of help in this work from his fellow paddlers. When I was Chapter Chair I figured it was Jerry who really understood the value ADK was bringing, from the mundane but necessary liability insurance for outings, to having Betty Lou Bailey and a whole team at the Club level participating in the boring and slowly progressing re-licensing hearings for hydropower dams, and their recreational releases, or just from the convenience of having the schedule communication via the Geneseean (long before web sites and email).”
John Holtz
John Holtz
By Don Baird
John Holtz has been a member of ADK since 1982, serving the Chapter and the statewide organization in several capacities. In the Genesee Valley Chapter, he served as Vice Chair (1982-3), Chapter Chair twice (1983-4, 1990-91), as a Director on the Board of Directors, as a participant on the Nominations, Outings, Programs, By-Laws, and Conservation Committees, and as trip leader on hikes and waterways trips. For the statewide ADK, he served for two years on the Publications Committee in the mid-1990s.
During his term as Vice Chair under Jack Freeman, John studied the demographics of the membership and led an effort that, over the next 5 years, redefined the Genesee Valley Chapter. In 1983, he moved its meeting location from a church basement in Irondequoit to an amphitheater at the Harley School in Brighton, the geographic center of its membership. Meeting attendance grew from 20-30 in 1982-3 to 125-150 in 1984, outgrowing even that facility and prompting the move to our current home at Eisenhart. During his year as Chair, John restructured the Board to look more like the constituency it wished to attract – from 15 men and one woman in 1983, almost all mid-career Kodakers, to a balance of men and women with a mix of ages and occupations. The community responded: membership during his term more than tripled (and continued to grow to more than 1500 in the late 1980s, making GVC the largest chapter in the state). His legacy was a revitalized, community-based Chapter model, an active and involved leadership style, and the greeting at each chapter meeting, “How many of you are here for the first time?”
When he married an avid canoeist with strong Canadian ties, his activities shifted from trails and peaks in the Adirondacks to lakes, rivers, and portages in Algonquin Provincial Park. John still visits the Adirondacks on occasion – “I’m still a Fiver” (having bagged only 5 of the 46 high peaks) – but now instead of hiking boots and backpacks he and Gretchen explore by solo canoes with their retriever, fishing rods, and a good book. They are in the process of moving their homestead to the village of Scottsville.
Dr. Henry Staehle
Dr. Henry Staehle
By Deb Brown
Near the end of 1965 a core group of outdoor enthusiasts gathered at the East High School library. By the end of this meeting the first Executive Committee of the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club had been elected. Among these new officers was Dr. Henry Staehle, our first Director. The following year Henry, a Senior Research Associate at Kodak, was elected to be our second Chair and was once again a Director in 1968. Often, he hosted those early GVC meetings in his home. He was appointed to the constitutional committee to change the by-laws in 1970 and served as chapter historian from 1971-1978. He led many outings over the years and gave numerous presentations at the monthly meetings. Henry was known to be a very gifted photographer. One of his most notable outings was to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area in western Montana.
Henry was also very active with the Genesee Hiking Club, The Bergen Swamp Preservation Society and was there helping to establish the Finger Lakes Trail Conference. He dedicated many hours as a member of the Advisory Committee for Helmer’s Nature Center in Irondequoit. Upon his death in 1984, the Helmer’s Advisory Committee established the Henry C. Staehle Environmental Education Fund, which was set up to assist worthy students and adult volunteers to attend workshops and camps dealing with nature study and the environment. Mary Ann Russo of Helmer’s Nature Center says that almost every year a youth is sent to DEC camp by this Fund. Last year the Center began the “Adopt a Maple Tree” program to help renew funding of the Fund. The March event included a pancake breakfast. His son, Rob, of Altadena, CA was able to attend and adopt a tree in memory of his dad.
In a phone conversation, Rob reminisced about family outings with his sister and two brothers in the Adirondacks. He remembered one specific climb up Algonquin in early spring. The weather included snow, ice and lots of wind and they were quite unprepared for the elements; but it has remained a treasured memory as the “snowball hike.” He recalled family canoe trips as well. Rob is very active carrying on his Dad’s legacy in CA, working on the board of a local conservancy, and chair of its natural resource committee. He also is meetings chair of the Altadena Crest Trail Restoration Work Group and just wanted us all to know there are no black flies there.
By Ken Harbison
Doug Wall joined the Genesee Valley Chapter in 1972. He has led numerous hiking trips for the chapter and taught rock climbing courses for about 20 years.
Doug was Program Chair for two years, Conservation Chair, Vice Chair, and Chapter Chair for two years starting in 1987. He also chaired the ADK Annual Meeting when it was held in Rochester in 1985. He received the Chairman’s Award in 1985. He has been an ADK governor for three years and has been on the Conservation Committee of the Main ADK.
Doug is an avid hiker, backpacker, rock climber, and mountain climber. He became an ADK 46er in 1982 (#1744) and a Winter 46er the next winter (#34). He has climbed a number of peaks in South America, including the highest peak, Aconcagua, and also in Mexico and Nepal. He has made chapter presentations on a number of these trips.
Doug has had a small “business,” Wallface Equipment Works, making gear for fellow winter campers.
Doug met his wife, Cathy, through the ADK, and together they are raising their daughter Natalie, and son Michael to follow in their footsteps. They’ve been hiking in the Adirondacks as well as canoeing, snowshoeing, and skiing.
Dave Mundie
Dave Mundie
By Bill Crowe
Dave Mundie has been a member of ADK since 1978 and has served the Genesee Valley chapter and ADK in a great variety of ways. His positions within the chapter include one term as Education Chair, two terms as Vice-Chair (under 2 different Chairs), Conservation Chair 3 different times (including 2001-2004), Governor twice and Chair for two years in 1984 and 1985. Our chapter began the annual long weekend to the Adirondack Loj in the early 80’s and Dave organized that trip 3 times in those first 4 years.
In 1997, Dave co-chaired our chapter’s hosting of the 75 th Anniversary Annual Meeting of ADK. In the fall of 2001, Dave even took on the role of master of ceremonies at the ADK Harvest Moon Auction and did so adorned in his favorite kilt.
A special place for Dave is the West Canada Lakes Wilderness area. In 1990, Dave adopted seven lean-tos there. While he now concedes that may have been a bit ambitious of an undertaking, he is still caring for four of those. Dave has been leading many chapter trips into the area during that time. As Conservation Chair, Dave acted to have the chapter’s Conservation Committee adopt the West Canada Lakes Wilderness. His strong knowledge of the area helped greatly to formulate the ADK Conservation Committee’s input to the WCWA Unit Management Plan for DEC.
Dave still leads Waterways and Trails trips and has done so for many years. Dave states that ADK has been great to him and he has very much enjoyed all his time with ADK. Our chapter has benefited greatly from all his efforts.
Dick Spade
Dick Spade
By Larry Reister
Dick Spade joined the Genesee Valley Chapter in the early eighties. He has served as Vice Chair, Secretary, Governor (now called Director), Program Chair, and Publicity Chair. Dick has also served on several GVC Committees including Conservation, Trails and Nominating Committee. In conjunction with his continuous participation Dick often provides leadership, training and service for special activities, workshops and outings. He is especially effective helping new and inexperienced members.
In 1988 Dick initiated the Sunday Hikes, which are held locally 52 weeks a year (only three cancellations in 16 years). Most of the hikes are held in Monroe County, but several are held in surrounding counties. Dick still leads most of the hikes, arranges to have a leader on other occasions, and maintains the hotline that announces the weekly hike. He often organizes special holiday hikes. The highly popular Sunday Hikes have strong participation year round. Most importantly, the Sunday Hikes have served as the first introduction to ADK for many new members. For many, the hikes have provided an opportunity for regular exercise and socializing in the company of friends (often new friends), and the opportunity to learn the basics about such important aspects of hiking as local wildlife, correct hiking gear, snowshoeing and trail safety.
Dick has planned and coordinated GVC participation in National Trails Day many times. In addition for several years now Dick has organized and coordinated with Parks officials the Wednesday morning trail work in the County Parks, performed by volunteers, many from GVC.
Dick is an unofficial liaison to our Monroe County Parks. He regularly attends Parks Advisory Committee meetings, as well as other local committees and organizations that have significant interest in Park conservation.
Dick continues to provide significant leadership and service to our Chapter year after year.
Doug Smith
Doug Smith
By Judy Immesoete
Total number of High Peaks climbed 645, each of the 46 peaks climbed in each of the 12 months, all 46 High Peaks climbed seven times since turning 60, and Algonquin Mountain climbed a total of 18 times―these are just a few of Doug Smith’s personal accomplishments.
In support of his love for hiking Doug has led numerous trips in the mountains for our chapter, always encouraging others to do their best with an unusual sense of leadership, patience and a gentle supportive nature. His inspiration has led many others on their quest to become a 46er.
Doug joined the GVC of ADK shortly after moving to Rochester from New Mexico with Eastman Kodak in 1966. In doing so he wished to continue pursuing his passion for white water kayaking, a sport he loved. Doug became involved in teaching the proper techniques of white water paddling, a very commanding sport, to many members of the GV Chapter. He soon became Chairman of the white water group and led many white water adventures throughout our area. Under his support and guidance the group thrived for many years.
Doug’s tutelage continued with his acceptance of the treasurer’s position from 1970-1972, Programs Chair 1981, Chapter Chair 1982, Past Chair 1983, and Conservation Chair 1985, each task taken on tirelessly and with enthusiasm. As not to let any peak be unclimbed or volunteer position be unfilled, Doug again has stepped forward this year to become our Chapter’s Publicity Chair.
Don Baird
Don Baird
By Al Bushnell
Don Baird joined the Genesee Valley Chapter in June 1984. His volunteer efforts began quickly, with him assuming responsibility for the Geneseean in early 1985 and holding that position for two years. In 1986, he became the coordinator for our Chapter’s backpacking and dayhiking trips. In addition to arranging the outings schedule, he led his first trip to the High Peaks in '86, taking a group up the miserable Street, Nye, & Tabletop! He soon started leading trips to less crowded destinations, including the Northville Lake Placid Trail and Pennsylvania. By 1988, he had created the Wilderness Adventure Series for our Chapter, which encouraged members to travel to the various Adirondack Wilderness Areas. This was the predecessor to the Adirondack Quest that Don created in the early 90’s and still administrates for the Main Club.
In 1989 our Chapter’s Outing Committee was divided into the current Waterways & Trails Committees, and Don assumed the role of the first Trails Committee Chair. While Trails Chair, Don continued to lead numerous trips, with his focus on the many trails in Pennsylvania. In late 1992, Don added the role of Chapter Governor to his duties as Trails Chair. In March 1993, he once again took over responsibility for the Geneseean. He served as Trails Chair until the Fall of 1993 and continued as Publications Chair until July 1994.
Don became Chair of the Chapter in September 1996 and served a two year term. While Chair, he continued as a member of the Trails and Conservation Committees. When you add the two years Don served as Past Chair, he has probably been a member of the Chapter’s Executive Committee as long as anyone in the history of the Chapter.
In 2002, Don became the first recipient of the Adirondack Mountain Club’s White Birch Award, which was created to recognize those volunteers who have contributed a significant amount of time and effort in a specific area.
Upon his retirement from Xerox, Don has been able to devote time to developing websites for various local organizations, including our Chapter. The website, which first appeared in 1997, has become one of ADK’s best due to Don’s continual efforts of refining and improving its design and content.
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