*Pritchard's and Peggie's ashes werein the Strong Mausoleum from November1, 1937 until they were moved to Peggie'sfamily plot, located at Lot 58, Range 3 onDecember 21, 1937.

Henry Alvah Strong had a veryinteresting past and made a very successfulfuture for himself He was the younger ofAlVail Strong's two sons but he made ahuge impact not only on Rochester but onthe world. Henry was born in Rochesteron August 30, 1838. He was educated at aprep school in Rochester and then at

Wyoming Academy, where he graduated in1858. Henry was married to Helen P. Griffinon August 30, 1859 with whom he had threechildren: Gertrude Achilles, Helen Carter, andHenry G. Strong. Following his wife Helen'sdeath in 1894 from diabetes, he married a sec­ond time on June 14, 1905. His second wifewas Hattie (Corrin) Lockwood, and he had astepson from this marriage, Corrin Lockwood.

Following his education, Henry Alvah

Strong worked at the American ExchangeBank in New York City and then joined themilitary in 1861, where he mysteriouslyattained the rank of colonel. When hereturned to Rochester following the Civil War,he went into business with his uncle, Myron(and parmer, John Woodbury), making buggywhips. In 1870, the Strong family becameboarders of Maria Eastman. Her son, GeorgeEastman, had a gteat interest in photography,and at the end of 1880 Henry invested $1000and became president of Eastman Dry PlateCompany. He invested additional capital in1881, and became tlle public face forEastman's company. The name of the compa­ny changed eventually to Eastman KodakCompany, and Henry remained ilie presidentof the company until his death on July 26,1919.

In 1920, Gertrude Strong Achilles andHelen Strong Cartet made a donation in theirparents' name to the teaching hospital at theUniversity of Rochester medical school.Another donation was given by Hattie Strongto the University to have an auditorium erect-

1917: Maria Ann Corrin1938: Margarena Geraldine Strong,

Augustus Hopkins Strong's second wife*1937: Pritchard Hopkins Strong,

Henry Griffin Strong's son*1937: Margaret E.B. (Peggie)

Strong, Pritchard Hopkins' wife

1939: Cora Strong, Augustus andHarriet Strong's daughter

1952: Hattie Lockwood Strong,Henry Alvah Strong's second wife

1955: Gertrude Strong Achilles,Henry Alvah and Helen P. Strong'sdaughter

The following have ashes inurns located in the mausoleum:

1904: Helen P. Strong, Henry Alvah

Strong's first wife1914: Harriet Savage Strong,

Augustus Hopkins Strong's first wife1914: Millie Hoefler Strong, Henry

Griffin Strong's wife

1919: Henry Griffin Strong, HenryAlvah Strong's son

1966: Alvah Griffin Strong, HenryGriffin Strong's son

1975: Marjorie Hall Strong, AlvahGriffin Strong's wife

Also interred in

the Strong Mausoleum are:

The Strong Family Mausoleumstands at the corner ofFirst and Cedar

avenues in Section MM.Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

by Elizabeth Jeffries

(Editor's Note: The author is a stu­dent at the University ofRochester andpre­pared this essay as part ofthe course require­ments flr Religion 167, Speaking Stones,which is taught by Prof Emil Homerin,who is also a trustee ofthe Friends ofMountHope Cemetery.)

I chose to write about the StrongMausoleum because I am a member of the

Strong family. My grandmother is AnnEmerson Strong Garrett, the daughter ofPritchard Hopkins Strong. I knew very littleabout her parents because they died when shewas very young, but through research I havelearned a great deal about how they lived. Ichose to write about Henry Alvah Strong andAugustus Hopkins Strong as well, because theywere large contributors to both Rochester andother communities.

The Strong Familyof Rochester, New York

Nine years after Alvah's arrival inRochester, he became rhe editor and publisherof the Rochester Daily Democrat for 30 years,which later became the Democrat andChronicle. Alvah married Catherine Hopkinsin 1834, and they had two sons, Henry Alvahand Augustus Hopkins, as well as two daugh­ters, Kate and Belle Strong. Both sons are nowinterred in the Strong Mausoleum located in

Lot 85-86, Section MM in Mt. HopeCemetery, Rochester, New York. This granitemausoleum was built around 1904 after thelot was purchased by Henry Alvah Strong on

June 24.

The Strong family first made theirappearance in the United States in 1630 whenElder John Strong arrive from Taunton,England on the ship, Mary andJohn, andlanded in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Six gen­erations later, in 1821, the Strong family came

to Rochester. Alvah Strong moved with hisparents to Rochester, and he began to buildthe Strong reputation in the area. He becamea printer once he had settled in Rochester. Healso became a Mormon convert during aCharles Finney revival meeting in Rochester.

ed in her husband's name. Hattie made con­

siderable donations over her lifetime to various

institutions, many of which were places ofhigher education. These donations include thepresident's house at Peiping University(China), a girls' home economics building at

HamptonInstitute, and

she endowedbeds at hospitalsfor children inWashington,D.C. andSeattle. She alsoe tablished the"Hattie M.

StrongFoundation" to

lend money toworthy studentsinterested inattending col­lege.

AugustusHopkins Strong,brother of

Henry AlvahStrong and theolder ofAlvahtrong'~ twO

sons, was famous in his own right. He was avery prominent Baptist theologian of his dayas well as president of the RochesterTheological Seminary where he had earlier

received his own seminary education.Augustus was born on August 3, 1836 inRochester, New York and attended YaleUniversity, where he received his undergradu­

ate degree in 1857. He then attendedRochester Theological Seminary (now ColgateRochester Divinity School in Rochester)before traveling to Europe and the MiddleEast. He then accepted a position inHaverhill, Massachusetts where he wasordained in 1861. He moved on to Cleveland,Ohio for seven years where he gained a reputa­tion as having "meticulously prepared sermonson the great themes of Chrisrian fai th".Having gained such a sound reputation, hereceived honorary degrees from several institu­tions including D.O. degrees from Brown,Yale, and Ptinceton universities, and Litt.D.from the University of Rochester. He wasoffered the position of president and teacherof the Rochester Theological Seminary in1872 and stayed there for 40 years, as hewatched the school thrive. During this time he

also served on the board of trustees at Vassar

College.

Augustus married twice during his life­time, first to Harriet Louise Savage. They weremarried on November 6, 1861, while he was

Strong Auditorium on the University ofRochestercampus was one ofmany gifts to the university from

the Strong family.Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

living in Massachusetts. She contracted cere­bral meningitis in the 1880s, however, anddied in 1914. He had four daughters and twosons with Harriet: Charles, Mary, John Henry,Cora, Kate, and Laura. Augustus marriedMarguerite Geraldine van Ingen on January 1,1915. Augustus died a few years later in 1921in Pasadena, California.

Pritchard Strong, born on July 2, 1906,was the son of Henry Griffin Strong andMillie Hoefler Strong. His wife, MargaretEmerson Bush Strong, born December 6,

1905, was the daughter ofJohn Fellows Bushand Maude Emerson. Pritchard and Peggieboth lived very full lives until their tragicdeaths on August 27, 1937, Pritchard at theage of 30, and Peggie at 31. They were mar­ried on June 18, 1927 and their daughter, AnnEmerson Strong, was born a year later. Bothhad very active social lives, and Pritchard wasinvolved in politics and an avid sportsman.

The Strongs lived very well, as Pritchard had

inherited quite a fonune upon his father'sdeath in 1919. The Strongs had a winterhome in Miami where Pritchard enjoyed deepsea fishing, as well as a farm on Aliens Creekwhere Pritchard kept a stable of polo ponies,

in addition to theirhome at 2700 EastAvenue in Brighton,

New York.Pritchard was amember of numer­

ous social and spOrt­ing clubs inRochester, includingthe Country Club ofRochester, RochesterGun Club,Roche ter PoloClub, Automobile

Club of Rochester,and the RochesterYacht Club. He wasalso a member of theYale AlumniAssociation ofRochester, having

graduated from Yalein 1929. He was alsothe BrightOn PoliceCommissioner in

1933 and was a former Brighton CountyCommitteeman. In 1934, Pritchard won theelection fot assemblyman from the FirstMonroe District and continued to be re-elect­ed until his death in 1937.

Thomas E. Broderick, a friend ofPritchard and Peggie, as well as the Republican

EPITAPHPublished quarterly by the Friends of

Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester,

New York 14620, a nonprofit member

organization founded in 1980.

© 2007 The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery

Richard 0. Reisem, Editor

Jan Wyland, Associate Editor

Frank A. Gillespie, Photographer

Dan Malczewski, Art Director

Lucille Malczewski, Editorial Assistant

Basic annual membership is $20. Call (585)461-3494for a free pocket guide to Mount

Hope Cemetery and a membership applica­tion. See our colorful and informative web

page: www.fomh.org

County Leader, said, "Rochester has suffered

an unfortunate loss in the death of

Assemblyman Strong. It has been a terribleshock to me, as I know it must be to others. A

promising young businessman of our commu­nity and an aggressive legislator, Mr. Strong'splace will be hard to fill. He was a valuableasset to the Republican Party as he was to thecity. In Albany he had made a record in thelower house of Legislature which advancedhim to the front rank of the state's most pro­gressive lawmakers. His worth as a forwardthinking citizen was widely recognized. Ourcity and our state can ill afford to lose suchvaluable men."

This quote is a good example of thefeelings regarding the loss of AssemblymanStrong as well as a description of his positivecharacter. The fact that he was elected forthree tetms as a Republican during a timewhen Democrats were winning nationwide isvery telling.

The deaths of Pritchard and PeggieStrong occurred when they were flying fromSaratoga Springs to Albany on a foggy night.The plane crashed, killing all four passengersonboard. This was Peggie's fitst trip on theplane, and sadly, it was her last. The Strongshad flown in the assemblyman's private planeto Saratoga Springs ro watch a horse race anddecided to fly back to Albany around 12:30a.m. on August 27, 1937. The weather wasbad with heavy fog and rain. The pilot,Clarence Robinson, radioed the Albany airport

asking to be informed when they were overthe landing field. The plane ended up goingdown in a wooded area two miles south ofAlbany, with no survivors. Clarence Robinson,

Charles Judson, and the Strongs were all killedin the crash.

This was not the first instance ofAssemblyman Strong using poor judgmentwhen deciding to fly. Earlier in the year, theDemocrat & Chronicle ran an article entitled"Assemblyman Strong Safe After 2 ForcedLandings". He decided to fly back fromAlbany to Rochester in sleet and snow.Clarence Robinson, his pilot, took the con­trols as he was the more experienced pilot ofthe two. The plane's carburetor froze duringtheir trip back, and they had to make anemergency landing in a cornfield. They wereable to thaw the carburetor, but when theyattempted to fly back to Albany, the carbure­tor froze again. The plane was damaged in the

second landing six miles outside of Albany.Following this event, Strong said that he

would continue to fly, and this led to his andhis wife's tragic death.

Following the death of her parents, AnnEmerson Strong was placed in the middle of acustody battle between her maternal grandpar­ents and her paternal uncle. Pritchard Stronghad been a millionaire at the time of his death,

and Ann, at nine years old, stood to inherit agood portion of the money when she turnedtwenty-one. There was also a portion of thefortune given to Peggie's mother, aunt, andbrother. There were also large donations madeto Rochester General Hospital and theConvalescent Home for Children. Pritchardhad been on the Board of Trustees at bothhospitals.

The custody battle was finally won byAlvah G. Strong, Pritchard's older brother andAnn's uncle, when Mr. and Mrs. John Bushdropped theit suit. Ann then moved in withher uncle, aunt, and cousins: Sally (9), Naney(12), and Betty (16), who she then consideredto be her sisters. Ann Strong Garrett is still aresident of Rochester, living on the Aliens

Creek property. The polo pony stable has sincebeen converted into a home where one of hersons lives.

The Strong family has a histoty in thecity of Rochester as contributors and socialites.Each of the members of this family participat­ed in Rochester's history in unique ways, and

many Strong descendants are still in the area.Educational facilities especially have beenimpacted by charitable donations made by

Strong relatives and also by members of theStrong family holding positions of highauthority within educational institutions. Themausoleum located in Mt. Hope Cemetery isonly one of the many places in Rochesterwhere family members and friends of theStrongs can go to remember those who havedied. Through research I have been able tolearn a history of my family that is not oftentalked about and I was even able to find infor­mation that my family members did not previ­ously know.

ENGAGING NEW TOURCELEBRATES JEWISH ROOTSIN ROCHESTER

by Jan Wyland

On a clear, sunny weekend in June morethan 75 people experienced the new "JewishRoots" tour of Mount Hope Cemetery,

researched and designed by Friends memberSusan Jaschik. The cwo-hour tour was givenonce each day on Saturday and Sunday, June16-17.

The tour visited plots established by dif­ferent congregations, beginning with the first

Jewish communal burial plot (established in1848), where restoration work i currentlyunderway, and ending at the grave site ofJoelBloom (1963-1996), beloved cantorial assis­tant at Temple Sinai whose memorial stone isengraved with musical notes.

As the tour progressed, guide NeilJaschik, Susan's husband, revealed the historyof Rochester's Jewish community as reflectedin the stories of individuals. For example:

• Myer Greentree (1818-1890) came seekingeconomic opportunity and became one of thefounders of Rochester's clothing industry and

the Jewish community here.

• Morris Seligman (1819-1890) was also aprominent clothing merchant. His grand­daughters, Miriam and Julia Seligman, enteredthe University of Rochester with the first smallgroup of women students in 1900. Theirmother, Henriette Seligman, helped Susan B.Anthony raise the funds required by the uni­versity in order to admit women.

• Alfred Hart (1878-1936) opened a small,low-overhead, self-service grocery that heexpanded to the Harts chain of 100 grocerystores by 1927. Among other philanthropic

The first jewish communal burial plot in Mount Hope Cemetery was estab­lished in J848. It is in Section 0. Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

The reverse face features anexclamatory commmld "Bloom!"

Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

joel Bloom was a musician as can benoted on the face ofhis gravestone.

Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

Many other intriguing and inspiring sto­ries were shared, offering all who attended anew appreciation of the rich history andimportant contributions of Rochester's jewish

community.

• joel Howard Bloom 0963-1996) was,according to his tombstone epitaph, "BelovedSon, Brother, Uncle, Partner, Best Friend.Forever in Our HeartS." A musician in life,Bloom receives a single-word, exclamatorycommand on the opposi te side of his grave­stone: "BLOOM!"

• Lillian Wald (1867-1940) dedicated her lifeto social service, and founded the U.S.Visiting Nurse Service.

• Nathan Stein (1823-1908) was the founder,with partner Leo Bloch, of Stein-BlochClothes, an enormously successful clothingmanufactory. He built the largest mausoleum

in the cemetery; it sleeps 20.

projects, he founded an organization forJewish youth that evolved into today's jewish

Community Center.

Many ofthe fallen stones in the first jewish plot are in the process ofbeing restored with new foundations. Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

Antonina Dragomanow, Svitozor's wife,was a founder ofSt. Mary's Ukrrtinian Orthodox

Church and an accomplished artist.Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

[Ilya and Ludmyla Demydenko are buried inthis grave marked by a modest wooden cross. They both haddistinguished careers with significant contributions to society.

Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

Just like hisfather-in-law,

IIlya Demydenko

wrote panlphlets

supportingUkrainian inde­

pendence andcontinued to do

so from his exilein Switzerland.

Under Stalin, he

My grandfather, IIIya Demydenko, was a

professor of chemistry and also a staunch sup­

porter of Ukrainian independence, as was his

family. Unfortunately, his family was brutally

murdered by the czar of Russia becau e oftheir political views. The intention was to

murder my grand­father as well, but

at the lastmoment, he

escaped to

Switzerland,

where he later met

his wife, my

grandmother.

was againdeclared an

enemy of rhe

state because ofhis compelling

publications. Heproduced his

writings during

both world wars

and continued

his work in

America after he

and his family

immigrated in1952. In the

U.S., he helped

to estabJ ish theUkrainian insti­

tutes at both

Harvard

University and

New York City. Locally, he was one of thefounders of the Rochester Ukrainian Federal

Credit Union. He also helped to establish St.Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Church, whichwas initially on Hudson Avenue, but now is

located on St. Paul Blvd. in West Irondequoit.

My grandfather died in 1991 at the age of 89years. He was highly respecred in Rochester's

Ukrainian community and throughout theUnited States and Ukraine.

BELOVED MOTHER & GRANDMOTHER

ANTONINA DRAGOMANOVJUNE 20. ~ fEB 28.

1889 ~ 1981

His son, my great grandfather Svitozor

Dragomanow, was a professor of economics

and continued his father's fight for Ukrainian

independence. His books and pamphlets also

were circulated in Ukraine. As with his father,the younger Dragomanow was also declared''An Enemy of The

Russian State" by

the czar and later

by Stalin. Despite

his exile, he pet­

sisted in his fight

for the independ­ence of Ukraine,

which he contin­

ued until his death

in 1958. So, my

great grandfather

followed in the

footsteps of hisfather, Mikhail

Dragomanow, to

fight fot Ukrainian

independence in

exile during both

world wars andafter he and my

family came to

America in 1952.

My greargrandmother,

AntoninaDragomanow

(spelled

Dragomanov onher tOmbstOne),

wife of Svitozor

Dragomanow, was

also active in theUkrainian inde­

pendence move­

ment from the czar

and USSR. She

was highly respect­

ed in the

Ukrainian com­

munity because of

her active participation in so many ethnicgroups. She was influential in establishing St.Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is

located on St. Paul Blvd. She was also an

artist, especially in weaving, and her works areat the Harvard Ukrainian Institute and the

U.S. Ukrainian Institute in New York Ciry.

She died in 1981 at the age of 94, and her

memory is still in the hearts of the Ukrainian

community.

by JOllluhrtn Mark Carpenter

PROMINENTUKRAINIANSBURIED IN MOUNTHOPE CEMETERY

Becau e of his political views aboutUkrainian independence, his teachings, and

his writings against the czar of Russia, Mikhail

Dragomanow was declared ''An Enemy ofThe Russian Srare", and he had to flee to

Switzerland. Even though he was exiled fromUkraine, he continued his work and studies,

which were published and distributed in

Ukraine.

My great grandfather: SvitOzor

Dragomanow was the son of Mikhail

I have four family members buried in

Mount Hope Cemetery that have numerous

stOries that I would like to share with you.

Svitozor Drrtgomrtnow, a Ukrrtinianimmigrant. championed Ukraine's

independence from USSR.Photo by Frrtnk A. GiLlespie.

Dragomanow, a professor of history and polit­

ical science in the capital of the Ukraine, Kiev,

and a staunch supporter of Ukrainian inde­

pendence from Russia. Mikhail Dragomanowwrote numerous books and pamphlets that are

in the Library of Congress (WashingtOn,

D.C.), the Ukrainian Institute of the United

States (New York Ciry), Harvard University

(Cambridge, MA), and on the Internet. In

addition, he was a close friend of George

Bernard Shaw and the Fabian Movement.

My grandmother, Ludmyla Demydenko,

was born in Switzerland, and that is where shemet my grandfather, IlIya. She was a professorof architecture, and after emigrating to the

U.S., she worked as an architect for theRochester City School District for severaldecades. One of the schools she designed isNo. 12 School on South Avenue, across from

Highland Hospital.

During World War II, she was invalu­able to the Allied Forces. She spoke six lan­

guages and helped Jewish people both inEurope and the U.S. interpret the markingsthat had been put on the arms ofJews. Inaddition, when she lived in Switzerland, she

was able to use her fluency in six languages to

translate for the Allied forces informationcoming from the Nazis. In addition, sheworked with her father and her husband IlIya,for Ukrainian Independence. After World WarII, Stalin listed her as an "Enemy of the State"because of her political beliefs and informationshe obtained for her father and husband.

In 1952, she immigrated to the UnitedStates with her husband and family andachieved high respect in the Unkrainian com­munity in Rochester as she had in Ukraine.She also helped her husband establish theUnited States Ukrainian Institute in New YorkCity. She enjoyed and created Ukrainian art,and there are books of her artwork in theLibrary of Congress and in New York City.

She died in 1986 at the age of71 years, and inthe Ukrainian community, she left fond mem­ories of her compassion and intelligence forher work in World War II and for Ukrainianindependence, as well as for her published art.

LETITIA Me KINNEYEULOGIZED AT FRIENDSANNUAL MEETING

by John Pearsall

(Editor's Note: The fOllowing remarks were

prepared by Friends trustee, John Pearsall and

delivered at the Friends ofMount Hope

Cemetery annual meeting, Aprill], 2007.)

Almost exactly a year ago at the 2006annual meeting of the Friends of Mr. HopeCemetery, we honored Letitia McKinney bymaking her an honorary member of the boardof trustees for her dedication and efforts forthe organization. At the time, Tish could onlyrespond by saying, "I don't deserve this." Shesaid it so often that we finally had to agreewith her and say, "Yes, you don't deserve it,

bur we have given it to you and you will justhave to live with ir." This was typical ofTish.She didn't want any recognition for all hermany good deeds. Whenever she did anyfavors for anyone or gave anything to you, shewould always add, "Now, don't thank me."Yet, on the other hand, she would thank any­one, even for the smallest favor. She wasfamous for her thank-you notes. When shewas in the hospital last spring and later inrehab at Sr. John's, she kept track of everyonewho sent her a card and she sent them athank-you note. She was kept very busy send­ing cards daily. Tish contributed generously to

the Friends and gave an annual donation tothe fund set up in memory of her husband,Jack. The corresponding secretary would sendTish a thank you for her donation to whichTish would respond by sending a thank youback to her for the thank you. The correspon­ding secretary asked me what to do about thissince she had never encountered a thank youfor a thank you. I told her to leave it at that,because Tish always wanted to have the lastthank you.

Tish's great love was gardening and shepursued it with fervor. As soon as she retiredas a psychiatric social worker at Strong, shedevoted herself to it entirely. She immediatelyvolunteered at the Rochester Civic GardenCenter, where she wotked in the library andkept several garden beds on the ptemises forover 30 years. Her husband Jack loved thecemetery, which was just across the street fromtheir home. Long before the Friends was evenestablished, he would enjoy walking throughthe cemetery. I think he must have been famil­iar with every inch of the site. He didn't just

stroll through the cemetery; he srudied it. Hekept track of every monument with a cherub

on it, and he knew where many family plotswere. People could question him about a plotand more often than not he could tell themwhere it was. Consequently, Jack was one ofthe founding members of the Ftiends. Heinvolved Tish by asking her to see if she could­n't starr restoring some of the flowerbeds inthe cemetery, which hadn't been cared for in

years. Tish claimed that she picked the small­est rock garden, bur it wasn'r long before shehad raken on orher plors and recruited manyof her friends at the Garden Center to aid her.For years, Tish could be found at six in themorning caring for her gardens. She loved to

go to the public market on Saturday and buyplants, so her gardens were always changing. rsaid she never met a plant she didn't like.

What many people didn't realize, when theystopped to ralk with her about her garden, wasthat the gardens in Mr. Hope were not theonly ones she cared for. Besides at least fourgatdens that she established at the GardenCenter she put in a long border of plants atthe AAUW (American Association ofUniversity Women). You can see the thousand

daffodils that she planted under a beech treein the front lawn at their headquarters on EastAvenue. She established a butterfly garden atthe Burroughs-Audubon clubhouse. She had alarge garden with an enormous number of rareand exotic plants in the backyard of her houseand when she moved into an aparrment sheasked the management if she could make agarden at the front of the building beside theentrance. They were more than happy to haveher do ir. The border started on a small scalebut it wasn't long before she had extended thegarden the whole length of the building. Shewas at her happiest when she was outdoorsworking in her garden. In the wimer, she wasa hooker. Jack use to brag about this with abig hearty laugh. In case yOll didn't know, she

hooked rugs. Jack, by the way, was a big joker.

He was famous for his puns and kept boardmeetings entertained with them. To that end,

Tish had engraved on his tombstone, "Thanksfor laughter."

Tish approached everything as an adven­ture. Even the most mundane activities sheconsidered adventurous. And things that mostof us would not look forward to doing, shewent at as just another adventure. When shelost the use of her car, she learned to take thebus everywhere she needed togo. Even though her manyfriends offered to take herplaces, she preferred to take

the bus so she could meet peo­ple. She learned the routes andwent everywhere by bus, evento rather distant places.Although Tish had traveledextensively in foteign coun­tries, she decided in the spiritof adventure to see the U.S. up

close and personal. Four yearsago she announced that sheplanned to go cross-country bytrain over the Christmas holi­days. We weren't happy to hearthis, but we were absolutelyhorrified to hear she was goinground trip to Los Angeles andplanned to sit up the entire distance in coachsince that way she would be able to meet peo­ple. All of her friends gOt together and decided

to talk her out of this crazy stunt. She wouldhear nothing of it. She would meer an old col­lege classmate in LA and go to lunch with herand her family, immediately get back on thetrain and return the same day. She would nottell us when she was leaving for fear we wouldput up a blockade to keep her from going. Shetook a raxi to the station and was on her way.We all feared for the worst. We knew the dayshe was returning and decided we would meet

the few trains coming from the West. She was­n't on the first one but she was on the second

one. She was glowing when she got off thetrain and reported that she had had a wonder­ful adventure. She had a very small bag whichwe put in the trunk of the car. She immediate­ly said she had to go back in the station. Wethought she had left a bigger bag on the plat­form or worse yet on the train. As she wasgoing into the station two ladies were comingout. You would have thought they were longlost relatives. They talked for some time.When she got back to the car, Tish said theywere women she had met on the train and she

just wanted to say goodbye to them. We allbreathed a sigh of relief when she was safely at

home. The following year she let it be knownthat she was going to go cross-country on thetrain again, but this time to Portland, Oregon.Again, she was going to sit up the entire dis­tance in coach. She would meet some relativesof Jack's whom she had never seen. Sheplanned on taking them to dinner since itwould be too late for lunch. Also, she wouldhave to stay overnight in Portland. We were in

John and Letitia McKinney,both significant contributors to the

efforts ofthe Friends ofMount Hope Cemetery,are buried in Section L.

Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

no position to oppose this and gave her ourblessing. She had gone to AAA to make areservation in Portland for a hotel room.When she got into a taxi in Portland, she gave

the driver the address of her hotel. Heinformed her that the hotel was over twentymiles away but that there was another hotel inthe same chain much closer to the station. He

took her to the closer hotel and even wentinto the hotel and helped her to cancel herfirst reservation and exchange it for the closerhotel. He even made arrangements to pick herup the next morning at the appointed timeand take her back to the train. Tish alwaysused the ploy of saying to younger men,"What would you advise me to do if I wereyour grandmother?" It seemed to work well nomatter whether she was dealing with a cardealer, a mechanic, doctor, dentist, lawyer, orthe ticket seller or taxi driver. She seemed toknow how to get them working on her side.

Now she had two cross-country trips underher belt. The next year, she decided to gosouth. This time she would take the train toAtlanta and meet her brother there. Thisseemed like a safe bet, since it was a shortertrip, so we all wished her well until we foundthat she would not make a connection withher train in New York and would be requiredto wait all night in Penn Station. In my recol­lection, Penn Station was not a place youwanted to be in in the middle of the night. It

was filled, especially in winter,with the homeless, the panhan­dJers, and an assortment of folkswhom you wou Id not want toknow what they were doingt11ere. However, I had read thatMayor Giuliani had cleaned upthe station by sending the home­less to shelters and scaring off therest of the riff-raff. This hap­pened to be the case when Tishwas there seated in the middle ofthe nigh t. However, the secu ri tyguards took her for a homeless

person and were about to hustleher off to a shelter until sheassured them she was just waitingfor a train the next morning.The security guards believed herand told her they would keep an

eye on her through the night so she was underpolice protection the whole time. When shegot to her brother's, he would not hear of herreturning by train and bundJed her off on aplane to Rochester. She was amazed how shorta trip it was but still regretted that she hadn'thad an adventure coming back.

Tish was an amazing woman. We werecertainly fortunate to have her working manyyears with the Friends of Mt. Hope. Her dedi­cation and support were beyond what anyonecould expect. She will be missed by all thosewho canle in touch with her through the

years.

NEW TREE REPLACESFALLEN FERN LEAF BEECH

A grear historic European fernleafbeech provided a green backdrop to theFlorentine fountain in the northencrance area of Mount Hope Cemeteryfor 160 years. S(lveral years ago, it

acquired a fungus disease that finallyrequired its removal. Its monumentalpresence was sorely missed, and theFriends of Mount Hope Cemeterydecided to replace it. Landscape archi­tect and Friends trustee Ed Olingerselected a replacement tree, which wasplanted recently. It is a European silverlinden (tilia tomentosa). The silver lin­

den is one of many species of Europeanlindens that are valued as specimen creesbecause of their size and form. The cree,

with erecr branching and a regular out­line that appears to have been clipped,will grow to a height of 60 feet. Its for­mal oval shape can be detected in theaccompanying photograph of the newly

planted young cree.

Besides being an especially hand­some cree, the silver linden is very hardyand highly suited to urban locations. Itis a somewhat slower-growing tree thanAmerican lindens, also called bass­woods. But it can live for centuries.

The Friends of Mount HopeCemetery will dedicate this tree to thememory ofJohn Oack) McKinney(1921-1998) and Letitia (Tish)McKinney (1916-2007), longtime veryactive members of tI}eFriends organiza­tion. In facr, Jack McKinney was one oftile original founders of the organiza­tion back in 1980. A granite dedicationmonument will be placed at the base ofthe new silver linden.

A silver linden treehas been planted near the

Florentine fountain to replace a fallenEuropean fernleaf beech.

Photo by Frank A. Gillespie.

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