with those climbing the 46 by de-emphasizing letter writing. However, the executive committee, like Grace, believed that it was the correspondence that made the 46ers unique among hiking clubs. The personal contact added to the sense of community among 46ers and offered opportunities to educate hikers and share club news. It also provided a mechanism to monitor hiker activity and trail conditions. Everyone was committed to continuing the tradition of personal correspondence with hikers. As George Sloan, vice president of the club at the time, said regarding the overwhelming number of letters sent in by aspiring hikers: “We could do what other clubs do – create form letters, or maybe just write back to the climber when he or she is finished…. What makes this club different and better is the personal correspondence. The aspiring climber connects with someone who wants to listen and who is willing to give advice and encouragement for the achievement of the 46 peaks.” Many hikers expressed the same sentiment. Alan Robert Kapitzke (#4197) of Higganum, CT, noted in one of his letters: “Writing is something I do not do often but I’m glad the club asks this of people. Many memories fade but now I have (my own and your) letters to reflect on.” It turned out that the 46ers were not the only ones interested in the tradition of hiker correspondence.The sheer volume of climbers’ folders was becoming a storage dilemma for Grace, who had maintained and safeguarded the 46er records in her home for more than 60 years. She contacted James Corsaro, the associate librarian at the New York State Library in Albany, to ask if the library would be interested in being a repository for the 46ers’ files. Corsaro was eager to add all of the hiker files and climbing folders to the archives. The library viewed the collection as offering unique historical and personal perspectives on the Adirondack High Peaks. The files, which were transferred to the New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collection in the spring of 1997, filled 65 boxes, or 30 cubic feet, and the individual questionnaires filled an additional 17 boxes. The climber folders of new Forty-Sixers are now transferred to the State Library annually and are available for researchers and the general public to view. With arrangements made for the disposition of the 46er files and an initial group of volunteers assuming many of her responsibilities, Grace announced her plan to give herself a 90th birthday present by officially retiring as club Historian in 1996. Her announcement had the unforeseen effect of actually increasing her workload. Hikers working on the 46 accelerated their climbing in order to finish while Grace was still Historian. Additional volunteers were sought to assist with the correspondence to aspiring hikers. As of spring 1997 the mailing address for the 46ers changed from Grace’s personal residences to P. O. Box 9046 in Schenectady, NY, symbolizing the operational transition in the Office of the Historian. When Grace’s declining health forced her to move into an assisted living residence, the club lost its unofficial “office.” L. John VanNorden offered the club space in his law office in Schenectady. All of the current files and equipment were moved there, and volunteers established the space as the 46ers’ official headquarters. For the first time since it appeared in the Fall/Winter 1981-82 issue of Peeks, the “Boulder Report” in the Spring/Summer 1997 issue was not penned by Grace, as her retirement was all but complete. L. John Van Norden composed the report for several issues before Mindy Jatulis took on the task of compiling the popular summary of hikers’ adventures. In the summer of 1998 Mindy turned over the administrative duties of the Office of the Historian to Tony Solomon and Jane Nye, but he remained as one of the main correspondents. In addition to the personnel and organizational changes within the Office of the Historian, the club also initiated an effort in the fall of 1995 to computerize all 46er records so they could be shared with various club officials. Jan Cofin (#4383), Adella Lamb (#4384), and Barbara Relles (#3745) formulated a database for club records. Jan tackled the enormous task of inputting all of the data from the climbing folders of the more than 3,800 recorded 46ers. Technological initiatives continued with the development of a website – http:// www.adk46r.org – which went online in the spring of 1997. Designed and maintained by Alan Ratcliff (#1129) the website contains information on club history, photos of the High Peaks, notices of club events, and links to other hiking-related sites. Section from HUH, © Suzanne E. Lance “The executive committee, like Grace, believed that it was the correspondence that made the 46ers unique among hiking clubs.” On Cascade in 1934, Helen Colyer Menz #42, left, and Mary Colyer Dittmar #29 SUMMER 2026 | 19
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