Ann Constance Salter

Born at Rochester General Hospital's original West Main Street campus, Ann died quietly, in her sleep, on Sunday morning, June 26 at The Hurlbut Nursing Home in Brighton, due to complications from several strokes over the past three years.

An only child, Ann was predeceased by her parents, Willard M. and Constance A. (Manning) Salter; her grandparents, Thomas and Nellie (Attridge) Salter, Francis and Constance (Rogers) Manning; her aunt and uncle, Katherine (Manning) and Thomas Lensing, and close friend Ann C. Stear. She is survived by her cousins Thomas M. (Rebecca) Lensing, Carefree, AZ; Thomas J. (Kristie) Lensing, Georgetown, TX; and Todd (Janee) & Lily Lensing, Gold Beach, OR, as well as many friends and colleagues.

A life-long Rochester resident, Ann was passionate about her city's social, cultural, and architectural history. That interest began during childhood, when stories about earlier generations were frequent topics of discussion amongst family members. This included stories about the family's activities as builder-contractors in the Edgerton neighborhood, during the late 19th century, when they created the city's shortest street, Salter Place, off Lake Avenue. Ann's interest in history was also encouraged by her father, who read extensively about American military history, with family vacations often including tours of historic forts in New York State. Born in 1908, his stories about ice skating on the old Erie Canal, after Sunday services at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in downtown Rochester, were vivid depictions of a vanished era.

Ann grew up in the Cobbs Hill neighborhood, on Nunda Boulevard, where the Salter family lived for over 50 years. Ginny Borden and John McCullough were among her childhood friends, all of whom attended School #1 and enjoyed many adventures in nearby Washington Grove woods. A 1969 graduate of East High School, Ann's activities included editor of the "Mosaic" literary magazine and membership in the History Forum. In 1973, she received her B.A. in history from Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia, with an outstanding academic record and departmental honors. She subsequently completed her graduate studies in American history and historic preservation at Columbia University, where classes with renowned urban historian, Kenneth T. Jackson, were a highlight of that experience.

An internship with The Landmark Society of Western New York in 1974, launched her career in historic preservation and museum programming, which she developed over the next 13 years, while serving as Curator, Director of Museums, and Director of Membership Development. Seeking new ways to expand and fulfill the interests of Landmark members and the public, alike, she increased special events, school programming, and family activities, while heightening the community's awareness of the Society's Museum resources. As a trustee of the Monroe County Association for the Hearing Impaired, Ann created the first museum program for the deaf, when she led tours using American sign language, at the Campbell-Whittlesey and Stone-Tolan House Museums.

In 1987, Ann became an Assistant Dean for special programs at the University of Rochester, where she developed thematic tours for students which exposed them to Rochester's history, architecture, and community assets. She also organized a lecture series that featured speakers who ranged from Olympic marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit to James "The Amazing" Randi, magician, author and noted skeptic of the paranormal, whose sleight-of-hand tricks during dinner at the University Provost's home was a highlight for those in attendance.

From 1990 to 1996, and again, in 2008-2010, Ann was Director of Special Events at the Genesee Country Village and Museum, the largest collection of nineteenth-century buildings in New York State and third largest outdoor "living history" museum in the country. Coordinating several dozen events (Civil War Re-enactment, Fiddler's Fair, Harvest Festival, Yuletide in the Country), hundreds of participants, and thousands of visitors was a challenging, rewarding, and often exhausting job unlike any of her previous career undertakings.

In 1996, Ann joined the staff at WXXI Public Broadcasting in Rochester as Special Events Coordinator, where she developed special programs, and community events over the next four years. This brought her into contact with some of PBS's most well-known personalities, including renowned documentary film maker Ken Burns and actor/writer Steve Smith, the creator of "The Red Green Show," the popular spoof of home-improvement programs.
In 2000, Ann joined the staff of the Rochester Historical Society as Director of Marketing and Development, which transitioned to her appointment as Executive Director in 2001. One of the city's oldest organizations, it boasted one of the largest and most significant collections of historic artifacts in the region. Modernization of the Society's administrative, financial, curatorial, and educational programs was achieved, via increased membership, receipt of important grants, completion of building repairs, and the addition of professional staff, during Ann's seven-year tenure; all of this was part of Ann's goal, the re-opening of this institution to the wider public.

Ann's success as a grant-writer proved especially useful when she joined the staff of the Arts Council of Greater Rochester, where she also served as interim director in 2015. Her subsequent work as free-lance grant writer and museum consultant included clients such as Sonnenburg Gardens and Mansion in Canandaigua and the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse Historical Society, that manages the oldest surviving American light house on Lake Ontario. Overlooking the port of Charlotte and the Genesee River, the lighthouse campus includes the 1822 stone tower and the 1860s keeper's residence. Ann's successful fund-raising efforts resulted in major grants that funded the restoration of the tower and residence to their historic appearance, complete with a reproduction Fresnel lens, whose beacon is an official navigational light for maritime traffic.

As many of her colleagues have remarked, Ann was a "force." She was drawn by her love of the history of the Genesee region and her beloved native city, and her desire to share knowledge of that history, especially the whole story, not just the glossy surface story in which everything was rosy and life was simple. She was tenacious in approaching her work in a professional manner, maintaining an insistence on best practices in all phases of her responsibilities, be they archival, curatorial, interpretive, or structural. And this was not universally appreciated by her employers, but she persisted, to the benefit of her "charges," the many interns who trained under her guidance, and the rest of the community.

Ann's passion for history extended into other facets of her life. She was keenly interested in politics and current events, serving as national secretary of the "Young Democrats of America" organization, during her college years, while her reading included books by historian David McCullough and investigative journalist Robert Woodward. An avid fan of Jane Austen, British history, the Royal family, and the "Downtown Abbey" series, Ann traveled twice to England, which had additional significance, as her mother's family had their origins in that country.

Ann maintained an intense professional schedule, fortified by endless cups of black coffee, cans of classic Coke --- and her ever-present cigarettes. In her "off hours," however, she managed to relax with a number of hobbies, including gardening, antiques, musical theater, dancing, and needlework. She was a member of the Rochester chapter of the Embroiderer's Guild of America, during which time she organized their major exhibit at Cutler Union. Ann's sense of humor and hearty laugh were familiar to friends and colleagues, alike. Musical pursuits included piano lessons during childhood, but playing popular music was preferred (she was a huge fan of The Beatles and Peter, Paul & Mary). For several years, she was a member of the bell choir at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. At the 1836 Campbell-Whittlesey House Museum, she played the instrument known as the "musical glasses" (glass armonica) during tours and special events. Learning to swim, while in college, was one of her most satisfying accomplishments. The artistry of competitive figure skating was the sport she enjoyed the most, a highlight of which was attending the 1978 World Figure Skating Championships in Ottawa, Canada. Ann loved animals and had a succession of adored canine (Chipper, Lucky, Otto) and feline (McGuffey, Beau, Tiger Lily) companions, most of whom were adopted, when adults or rescued, as strays.

In May 2019, Ann experienced a major stroke, then two bouts of Covid19 coronavirus. Over the past three years, Ann was cared for by a corps of devoted friends, as well as the professional staff at Hill Haven and The Hurlbut Nursing Homes. While her physical abilities were affected, her interest in politics, current events, and the wider world never diminished.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 27 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 25 Westminster Road, with interment in the church columbarium, to follow. The service will also be live streamed on the church's YouTube channel; click on this link (https://youtu.be/n7gpgNla6gM)
Immediately afterwards, guests are invited to attend a reception at The Inn-on-Broadway, 26 Broadway, in downtown Rochester. Formerly known as the University Club, this historic building has decades-long connections with Ann's family, who were members of the club for over 40 years.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Historical Preservation Fund of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, 500 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607 (https://www.racf.org/fund/historical-preservation-fund/). To leave a memory of Ann or send condolences to her family and friends please see below.