Bill Text: NY J02810 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourning the death of Jane A. Wait, distinguished citizen and devoted member of her community
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-06-01 - ADOPTED [J02810 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-J02810-Introduced.html
Senate Resolution No. 2810 BY: Senator JORDAN MOURNING the death of Jane A. Wait, distinguished citizen and devoted member of her community WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to citizens of the State of New York whose lifework and civic endeavor served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and this great Empire State; and WHEREAS, Jane Caroline Adams Wait of Saratoga Springs, New York, died on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at the age of 100; and WHEREAS, Born in Elmira, New York, on March 30, 1922, Jane A. Wait was the daughter of Charles Francis Adams, Jr. and Mary Evangeline Parnell; her mother infused her children with an appreciation for music, raising accomplished performers on violin, piano, cello (Jane) and vocals; and WHEREAS, Jane A. Wait continued to play the cello as an undergrad as she worked her way through Cornell University, where she met and married Newman Edward Wait Jr. on February 26, 1943; while at Cornell, she was a member of the Board of Managers of Willard Straight Hall and was elected to Mortar Board, a national honor society; and WHEREAS, She delighted in telling stories of being a "camp follower" when her new husband enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, staunchly moving with him from her known world of upstate New York to spartan army housing in Mississippi and North Carolina as he prepared for war in Europe; and WHEREAS, Jane A. Wait distinguished herself in her profession and by her sincere dedication and substantial contribution to the welfare of her community; and WHEREAS, Jane A. Wait was an inspired teacher, beginning her career during the war and working continuously until her retirement; she initially taught science at Skidmore College and then at the Saratoga Springs High School; and WHEREAS, She taught very young minds at Lake Avenue Elementary School and more mature ones at the BOCES education center in Saratoga Springs; armed with a Master of Science degree in Geology from Union College, she could make even inanimate rocks interesting to her students; she so impacted the lives of her students that years after her retirement, they would stop her on the street, in the grocery store, or at community events to thank her; and WHEREAS, In addition to her professional career and family commitments, Jane A. Wait was a force in the Saratoga Springs community, working diligently alongside her husband "Pete" to launch the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC); and WHEREAS, She was a founder of the Action Council to support SPAC's cultural programming through fundraising and events; she served for many years as a Member and Director of the Corporation of Yaddo; as an example of her full commitment to the causes she served, she created the Yaddo Garden Association in 1991, a group of volunteers dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the gardens at Yaddo, which had suffered from years of neglect; and WHEREAS, To further this purpose, Jane A. Wait became a Master Gardener through the Cornell Cooperative Extension program, and her inspiration, diligence and personal labor helped transform a decaying turn-of-the-century garden into one of the star attractions in a city of many tourist destinations, bringing more than 60,000 visitors to the gardens each summer; and WHEREAS, Jane A. Wait spent uncounted hours offering time, money, experience and wisdom to many other community organizations, volunteering in the records department at Saratoga Hospital during World War II, being a den mother for the Cub Scouts, creating Christmas stockings for the Children's Committee, and hosting foreign exchange students; and WHEREAS, Furthermore, Jane A. Wait served on the boards of directors for the Charlton School in Burnt Hills, the Baroque Festival, and the New York State Theater Institute; for many years, she also served as a Director on the board of The Adirondack Trust Company; and WHEREAS, Jane A. Wait's interests were wide-ranging, from science, to art and culture, to crafts; she was also a skilled seamstress; in the early days of her marriage, she made most of her own clothes, and knitted sweaters and socks for her family well into her 90s; she could create a knitting pattern just by looking at a photograph from a magazine; and WHEREAS, She was an avid reader of a wide variety of books on history, science, the economy, the arts, society, and business; her passion for reading never flagged, and she switched to audiobooks when her failing eyesight made reading laborious; and WHEREAS, Jane A. Wait loved all classical music, and was particularly keen on chamber music and opera; her knowledge of both these musical forms was both deep and broad; she especially enjoyed a private concert in March by violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn in honor of her 100th birthday; Ms. Pitcairn performed Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, a piece Jane's brother Floyd had played upon his graduation from the Eastman School of Music; she had been unable to attend the concert, but always remembered the piece; and WHEREAS, An experienced traveler, Jane A. Wait enjoyed many trips to Europe and Asia as well as across the United States; home base was always the family camp on Dunham's Bay on Lake George, where she expertly and cheerfully hosted large gatherings and week-long family reunions, but she especially enjoyed the quiet of her beloved lake on a summer evening after a late afternoon swim, watching the sky for shooting stars with her children and grandchildren; and WHEREAS, Predeceased by her husband; her brothers, Don Adams, Floyd Adams and Howard Adams; and her son Newman Edward Wait, III, Jane A. Wait is survived by her sister, Marian Adams Cunningham; daughters, Marian Wait Walsh (Joseph), and Caroline Wait Putman (David); and her son, Charles V. Wait (Candace); as well as seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; and WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of compassion, Jane A. Wait leaves behind a legacy which will long endure the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all she served and befriended; she will be deeply missed and truly merits the grateful tribute of this Legislative Body; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to mourn the death of Jane A. Wait, and to express its deepest condolences to her family; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to the family of Jane A. Wait.