February Newsletter

32x32 The Corinthian February 2025

The following text for the location for Tuesday, February 11, was incorrectly printed. On the copies that were mailed out, please check your copy. If it lists Greece Arcadia High School Auditorium as the location, it was a mistake. The correct location is the Greece Central Transportation Facility at 1790 Latta Road.

Address corrected in the Digital Copy
The corrected address for the February Program is in the Digital Copy
Incorrect Information from Mailed copy
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The 2nd annual Warren C. Crandell Memorial Scholarship entry period is now open!

🎓 Calling All Greece High School Seniors! 📜

The Greece Historical Society is proud to announce the Warren C. Crandell Memorial Scholarship! This $2,000 scholarship honors Warren C. Crandell’s passion for history and education and will support a motivated student planning to study history or education at a two- or four-year college.

📝 How to Apply:
✔ Be a graduating high school senior from the Town of Greece
✔ Plan to major or minor in history or education
✔ Submit an application, transcript, letter of recommendation, and a 500-750 word historical essay about the Town of Greece

📅 Deadline: Last Monday in March
📩 Apply today! More details & application: Warren C. Crandell Memorial Scholarship

Help us continue Warren’s legacy by sharing this opportunity with deserving students! 🙌

#GreeceHistoricalSociety #ScholarshipOpportunity #WarrenCrandellScholarship #FutureHistorians #EducationMatters

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The 2024 Annual Report

The annual report from the Greece Historical Society is out for the 2024 Year

Below is a summary of our social media performance, highlighting key insights:

Facebook Page

  • Page Likes: Increased from 1,461 to 1,493, gaining 32 new likes.

YouTube Channel

  • Subscribers: Total of 161.
  • Total Number of Videos: 101.

Top 10 Videos

Video TitleTotal Views
Bicentennial Snapshot No. 31 – Iconic Homes in Greece, NY297
Bicentennial Snapshot No. 37: Unsolved Arson Case – The Holiday Inn Fire of 1978249
Bicentennial Snapshot No. 35 – “Lafayette, We Are Here!” – World War I235
John “Jack” Foy – Sunday Talk at Greece Historical Society195
Thomas W. Boyde Jr.146
Bicentennial Snapshot No. 41 – Northgate Plaza104
ROC 2024 Solar Eclipse: Preparing for Totality102
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Western NY – Recorded Live101
The Kannewischer Family: From Berlin to Rochester to Arlidge Drive89
Bicentennial Snapshot No. 49 – Dewey Stone Area82

Website Statistics

  • Yearly Comparison (2023 to 2024):
    • Visitors: Increased by 24.3%, from 1,346 to 1,673.
    • Page Views: Rose by 9.7%, from 31,256 to 34,281.
  • Overall Totals:
    • Views: 80,288.
    • Visitors: 36,369.
    • Posts: 212.

These metrics provide a comprehensive overview of our current social media and website performance.

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January 2025 Corinthian

Hope everyone who is a member has received their copy of the Corinthian in the mail. Some of the things in this issue of the January Corinthian are the following:

32x32 The Corinthian January 2025

Just a quick reminder our museum for visits is closed until March 6th at 1:30 PM.

We will still maintain office hours, Mondays 10:00 a.m. until noon.
To make an appointment send an email to greecehistoricalsociety@yahoo.com

Our Calendar of Events

  • Tuesday, January 14 History of Wegmans
  • Thursday, January 16 Annual membership meeting
  • Tuesday, February 11, She, Unsung Women in Rochester History
  • Tuesday, March 11, What’s Your Game
  • Tuesday, April 8, Before Jackie: The Negro Leagues and the American Dream
  • Tuesday, May 13, History of Holy Cross Church

Please check our Facebook page prior to any event for unanticipated changes.


Our Tuesday Program for January will be on A Brief History of Wegmans Presented by Gary Harris. Reservations are recommended. Because of the anticipated attendance, the program will be held at Arcadia High School auditorium, 120 Island Cottage Road.

A Brief History of Wegmans by Gary Harris

Annual Membership Meeting

Thursday, January 16, 2025, 7:00 p.m.
GCSD Transportation Center, 1790 Latta Road

At our annual meeting, you can receive a copy of our 2024 Annual Report. You can also view a photo montage of our activities from 2024. Additionally, you can hear about our future plans. Our treasurer Bill Peeck will give a financial report and an election of trustees will be conducted. Trustees serve a term
of three years. Those currently seeking re-election are Bill Peeck, Deborah Whitt and Bridget
O’Toole. Deborah Cole Myers will be seeking election to fill the position currently held by Ruth
Curchoe. All GHS members are invited to attend.


A Message from the Society’s President’s

This month’s message is about the impact of social media and the web. They have changed how we engage with our members. They have also changed how we interact with the community. Also, this coming year we will look at replacing our 35-year-old furnace in the collections storage area. As well as other upgrades to improve the Museum experience for future generations.


Maureen Whalen wrote a piece on The Fight Against Polio


Volunteer of the Year 2024


Upcoming Events:

Erie Canal Bicentennial

2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Erie Canal.
Watch for events throughout the area commemorating this event. These include the Seneca Chief reproduction boat. It was built by the Buffalo Maritime Center. The boat will make stops in Monroe County in September. If you want more information on the Seneca Chief and its trip, visit their Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief page. Check out the Buffalo Maritime Center website for more details.

“She, Unsung” February 11

Our Tuesday evening program on February 11, will feature Chandra McKenzi and Ann Coon. They will tell stories about a unique set of diverse women. These women made a commitment to others and produced a legacy of influence and leadership in the community. Their contributions have since become “unsung.”

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Volunteer of the Year 2024

Sandy Peck

Each year we select one individual as “Volunteer of the Year.” This year we recognize a long-time member and volunteer Sandy Peck.

Left Bill Sauers, Middle Sandy Peck, Right Bill Peeck

Sandy Peck is a member of the Board of Trustees, is on the Society’s Finance and Audit Committees, and she also volunteers in the Gift Shop. As she is the second volunteer on the finance team, it allows us to maintain separation of duties between the person recording the deposits in the finance system and the person counting money received by GHS and depositing it in the bank. As a member of the Audit Committee, she greatly assisted that committee in conducting the 2023 internal audit in February of 2024. Sandy is the main person processing bank deposits on a periodic basis.

Always responsive in getting the deposits in quickly at the end of the month and monitoring any
buildup in volume of financial transactions, she facilitates mid-month or weekly deposits during the membership drive to keep cash on hand to a minimum and to maximize the interest income on our accounts. She volunteers in the gift shop at least once a month or more if necessary and contributes ideas on items to sell with the gift shop manager. Sandy also regularly volunteers to head up ticket sales for the Strawberry Festival and other fundraising events.

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A History of the Seneca Park Zoo

This first comprehensive history of Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York traces the many changes it has experienced over the last 125 years, evolving from a menagerie zoo seeking to amuse visitors to the habitat-conscious conservation leader it is today. Established in 1894, it is one of the oldest cultural attractions in the Rochester area. It’s sure to trigger happy memories as you read about the many animals who have delighted guests over the years: Jimmy, the chimp; polar bears Penny and Nickels and Aurora and Yukon; elephants Sally, Genny C, and Lilac; orangutans Gambar or Kumang and her mates and babies; lions Rex and Rexanne, and more.

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GHS receives award at Museum Conference

At the annual conference for the Museum Association of New York (MANY), President Bill Sauers accepted a Certificate of Commendation for the “Our Town in World War II” project. The project was submitted in the category of “Engaging Communities“ and was one of only fifteen awards given out at Lake Placid.

Bill Sauers and Marie Poinan were able to attend the three-day conference thanks to a travel grant application submitted in November of 2015. This grant was one of 46 awarded across NY State and covered the cost of registration, hotel lodging and mileage. Sessions were designed for museum professionals to focus on skill building and organizational capacity building. Bill and Marie were able to connect with other nonprofits to explore new ways to increase awareness, new programming and investigate the museum’s place.

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Greece Historical Society wins recognition for WWII exhibit

The Museum Association of New York (MANY) of Troy, NY announced the winners of its annual 2015 Awards of Merit awards, which are presented to New York State Museums and Heritage Organizations.

The Greece Historical Society received a Certificate of Commendation for its 
“Our Town in World War II” project and is extremely grateful to be chosen as one of only fifteen awards that were given statewide! The certificate will be awarded to the organization at the Museum Association’s upcoming annual conference in April.

The award recognizes outstanding work in the museum community, rewards staff and volunteers, and provides encouragement for the development of new and innovative projects. Winners included individuals and organizations who were recognized for the exhibitions and educational programs.

Deadline for submissions was December 11, 2015 and we submitted our World War II project for consideration. One of the most successful exhibits ever staged, the society received overwhelming community support in terms of the increased number of visitors who came to view the exhibit, the number of people who signed up and came to the additional programs generated and the response from local veterans.

Also four books were produced in conjunction with this exhibit that recorded the history of what it was like to experience World War II- both in the service and on the homefront in Greece.

The other local Finger Lakes area recipient was the Ontario County Historical Society.

To read the press release and for a list of all 15 winners, here is the link to the MANY website:

http://manyonline.org/grants-and-awards/2015-awards-meritmail