Hyde Park, NY–The Great Estates Consortium of the Hudson River Valley is pleased to host its second symposium, “Below Stairs: In Service to the Great Estates” at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center at the Presidential Library and Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Sunday, April 1, 2006 from 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM. The symposium will explore domestic service in country houses in the Hudson Valley as exemplified by the riverfront estates created by such distinguished families as the Livingstons, Astors, and Vanderbilts in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

A variety of lectures presented by notable historians and field professionals will cover a range of topics including slavery, Irish workers, and the typical lives of other domestics employed by prominent families living in the Hudson Valley. Prior to the start of our symposium, participants may opt to go on an hour-long guided tour of Springwood, home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Robin Campbell, Supervising Curator for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, will begin the symposium with an overview of domestic services in country houses. Myra Young Armstead, Professor of History at Bard College will follow with a discussion on the issue of slavery in the Hudson River Valley. After lunch, Dr. Margaret Lynch Brennan will examine the roles of Irish domestics in Great Estates’ households. Frank Futral, Curator of Decorative Arts for the Vanderbilt Mansion, will then discuss domestic service in the Gilded Age. Our final speaker, J. Winthrop Aldrich will conclude with a fascinating discussion on growing up in a Great Estate.

The day’s activities will finish with a wine and cheese reception at 3:30 PM. The registration fee for the symposium is $50.00 per person and includes a morning reception, a boxed lunch, an afternoon wine and cheese reception, and free admission to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum throughout the day.

The Great Estates Consortium, an alliance of eleven museum properties in Dutchess, Columbia, and Greene Counties, includes Olana State Historic Site, Thomas Cole’s Cedar Grove, Clermont State Historic Site, Montgomery Place, Wilderstein Preservation, Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Vanderbilt National Historic Site, Springwood the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Eleanor Roosevelt’s Val-Kill National Historic Site, and Samuel F.B. Morse’s Locust Grove.

This wonderful program is made possible through the generous support of Stair Galleries & Restoration of Hudson, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation, and the Hudson River Valley Greenway.

For more information on the symposium or to obtain a registration form, please call Melodye Moore at (845) 889-8851 or visit any of the above listed properties.

Clifford J. Laube
Public Affairs Specialist
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
4079 Albany Post Road Hyde Park, NY 12538
Phone 845.486.7745 Fax 845.486.1981

VISIT US AT: www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum’s
website contains more than 13,000 digitized archival documents,
photographs, finding aids, educational resources, upcoming events,
and visitor information.

Wellesley Professor James O’Gorman will be presenting a lecture on March 18th, at our annual preservation conference. His topic is “Henry Hobson Richardson’s Residential Designs.” We would like to invite any Wellesley alum who would like to attend his lecture to join us. The lecture will be held in Filene Hall on the Skidmore College Campus in Saratoga Springs, New York, beginning at 8:30 on Saturday morning March 18th. The fee for attending the lecture is $10, payable at the door.

Carrie Woerner
Executive Director
Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation
518-587-5030

LANDSCAPE: A DYNAMIC ART FORM

Lecture by Michael Van Valkenburgh, Landscape Architect and Master Planner
for Wellesley College, with commentary by Peter Fergusson, Professor of Art
at Wellesley College, and Betsy Barlow Rogers ’57, former president of the
Central Park Conservancy.

Please join New York Wellesley Friends of Art for a provocative evening
exploring the nature of landscape design. Our featured speaker is Michael
Van Valkenburgh, who has directed the design and construction of over 300
landscapes for institutional, public, and private clients across the United
States and internationally. One of Mr. Van Valkenburgh’s recent works has
been Alumnae Valley and The Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center landscapes at
Wellesley. Mr. Van Valkenburgh’s position is that while we often think of
landscape as a static art form, it is in fact a dynamic and ever-changing
environment. He will illustrate his talk with examples from three of his
projects: the Wellesley College Campus, Teardrop Park in Manhattan, and
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. Betsy Barlow Rogers and
Peter Fergusson, both of whom were pivotal in the formation of Wellesley’s
Master Plan, will provide further insight into its evolution.

The program will be followed by a reception at which the three participants
will be on hand to answer questions. Please join us for this very special
evening.

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006
Time and Place: 6-8 pm
The Horticultural Society of New York
128 West 58th Street, New York City

RSVP: You must be a member of Friends of Art to attend this event. To
obtain the Friends of Art membership form URL:
http://www.davismuseum.wellesley.edu/friends/membership_form.html Or
call Lisa W. Cowley, Manager, Friends of Art, Davis Museum and Cultural
Center. Tel: 781.283.2081.
Please consider your reservation confirmed unless you are called.

Event Cost: $50
Young Alumna (10 years after graduation): $25

Send check payable to Wellesley College Friends of Art,
together with member form, if applicable, to:
Marilyn Nissenson
411 West End Avenue
New York, NY 10024

Questions: Please call Gretchen Adkins at 212 877 9761 or email
your questions to her at Gretchen.Adkins@verizon.net.

The New York Capital District Wellesley Club cordially invites the Mid-Hudson Wellesley Club to a luncheon:

Sunday, March 5, 2006
2pm
The Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Albany, NY
$18.00

The event will feature Professor Rebecca Bedell, Wellesley College Art Department. Her presentation will be about “Wellesley Then and Now: Form and Meaning in the Wellesley Landscape from the 1870s to the Present”.

Entrée Choices:

• Chicken Mediterranean – Grilled chicken breast topped with an olive tapenade, layered with plum tomatoes and smoked mozzarella cheese served with roasted red pepper orzo.
• Sliced NY Sirloin – Sirloin served on a toasted crouton and topped with tomato demi-glaze accompanied by potato pancakes.
• Tortellini Pesto – Cheese tortellini tossed with roasted vegetables in a light pesto sauce.

All entrees are accompanied by a salad, dessert, coffee and/or tea.

If you are a Mid-Hudson Wellesley Club member interested in attending, please log in and then click on March 5 in the calendar to the left for RSVP details.

Please save the date:

Mid-Hudson Holiday Lunch
Sunday, December 18, 2005
1:30pm

The Ship Lantern Inn
1725 Route 9W
Milton, New York 12547-0806
Phone ( 845) 795-5400
www.shiplanterninn.com

Open to Mid-Hudson Alumnae and current students who live in the area.

Prix Fixe Holiday Menu: Appetizer, Salad, Entree, Dessert, Coffee or Tea
(Cash or Credit Card)
$20.00

RSVP to Janet Jones.

The Wellesley College Mid-Hudson Club and family/friends are invited to attend a symposium and reception in honor of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations to be held at the FDR Presidential Library. This event is free thanks to sponsorship by the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley, the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill, the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, the FDR Presidential Library, the National Park Service, and the United Nations Association of the USA (Southern New York State Division).

Time:
Sunday, October 23, 2005
2:00-4:00pm

Location:
Henry A. Wallace Visitors and Education Center
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library
4079 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, NY

Panelists:
Stephen Schlesinger, Director of the World Policy Institute and author of Acts of Creation, a history of the 1945 United Nations Charter
Gillian Martin Sorensen, Senior Advisor, United Nations Foundation
Luis Alberto Cordero, Executive Director, Oscar Arias Foundation

You will have the opportunity to discuss the United Nations, its future, and the role of the United States. This event will conclude with a complimentary reception at the FDR Presidential Library.

RSVP:
With names, to Janet Jones at WCMidHudson@alum.wellesley.edu. This event is open to you, your family and friends.

Vassar College President, Frances Fergusson ’65 will soon retire after a highly successful 20 year term in 2006. She was appointed Vassar’s ninth president on July 1, 1986. In addition to graduating from Wellesley, she also completed her M.A. in History and Ph.D. in History from Harvard University in 1973. She is also serving as a Harvard College Overseer with a term lasting from 2002 – 2008.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Hudson Valley Club will honor President Fergusson on Saturday, October 8, 2005 from 5:30-9pm at the Vassar College Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. Yesterday, Edward Blodgett (H-R Club) so graciously extended an invitation to all of us Wellesley College Mid-Hudson Alumnae. Ed is working very hard to make this event a huge success in the area. You are encouraged to attend and enjoy this event with the Harvard -Radcliffe Club. Here is the information you will need to attend:

Saturday, October 8, 2005
5:30pm to 9:00pm
Vassar College’s The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
Wine & Cheese Reception in the Art Center Garden

Harry Cooper, Fogg Museum Curator of Modern Art will lecture on “Looking at Picasso” as he unveils Vassar’s largest Picasso acquisition. This painting was donated by Mrs. Deknatel, widow of Frances Fergusson’s mentor, Professor Fredrick Deknatel.

DINNER in Taylor Hall

For attendance to this event, please make your check payable to the Harvard Radcliffe Club of the Hudson Valley in the amount of $35.00. This event has limited attendance. All reservations should be received on or before Monday, Oct. 3, 2005. Contact Janet Jones ’93 to RSVP at WCMidHudson@alum.wellesley.edu.

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Welcome to the Web site of the Mid-Hudson Wellesley Club. This site is intended to be a central location for sharing and discussing information about the club, including contacts, events, committees, and community projects.

If you are a Wellesley College alumna in the Mid-Hudson area, you can log in under the “For Alumnae Only” section on the left to see member-only information. (We do this to respect the privacy of our members and adhere to the guidelines for maintaining alumnae confidentiality set forth by the Wellesley College Alumnae Association.) If you do not yet have a password, send an e-mail to drudolph@alum.wellesley.edu with your name and class year.