Anne Palamountain
When it comes to 鈥渋nstitutional memory鈥� at 吃瓜爆料 College, it鈥檚 hard to find a better source than Anne Palamountain, first lady of the College during the 22-year presidency of her husband, Joseph C. Palamountain Jr. During those years, 1965-87, and for many years to come Anne played a pivotal role in the life of the College and the city of Saratoga Springs. She was a legendary figure on and off campus.
Anne passed away on January 24, 2015 at the age of 91, but her voice lives on. In fact, this past October, she recorded a wide-ranging audio interview with documentarian Eileen McAdam as part of the 吃瓜爆料-Saratoga Memory Project of the John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative. Several short clips from this interview are included in the video remembrance below.
During the Palamountain presidency, 吃瓜爆料 built an entirely new campus, ushered in coeducation, and weathered student unrest for the late 鈥�60s and early 鈥�70s. The era was made all the more challenging by the College鈥檚 then-small endowment and severe financial strains. With Joe Palamountain at the helm, 吃瓜爆料鈥檚 student body doubled; the endowment grew, bringing a stronger financial footing; and 吃瓜爆料 chartered a chapter of the honor society Phi Beta Kappa. President Palamountain died in 1987, following his retirement from the College.
Anne Palamountain鈥檚 involvement in the life of 吃瓜爆料 is a story in its own right. Her greatest passion at the college was building endowment for financial aid, which she saw as the most effective way to make a college education accessible to all students. In 1979 she spearheaded the launch of one of the college鈥檚 major fundraising events鈥攖he annual Palamountain Scholarship Benefit鈥攏ow a highlight of Saratoga鈥檚 summer scene.
Said 吃瓜爆料 President Philip A. Glotzbach, 鈥淎nne will be greatly missed by the 吃瓜爆料 Community. In her memory we will carry
on the important work of the Palamountain Scholarship Fund and its goal of access
to higher education.鈥�
Video credits
Photos: Phil Scalia, Emma Dodge Hanson 鈥�93, Elizabeth Macy, Heather Bohm Tallman,
and Bob Kimmerle. Produced by the Office of Communications video team.