Notable Locals is, as noted on the library’s website “An ongoing exhibition at the library about people from the Corning area who have made an impact locally, regionally and across the world.”
This get-the-word-out-about-neat-people-who-have-lived-locally-in-the-past project consists of a display in the library (near the microfilm machines), a handout featuring information on the nine people (also included as PDF within this post); and a blog post that spotlights the nine people and/or groups.
The Notable Locals display will be updated, and a new information PDF and blog post created for nine new people/groups bi-annually.
And here are our first group of Notable Locals, listed in alphabetical order:
The Beth Israel Congregation of Corning
Young members of the Beth Israel Congregation are shown in a 1950s era photo, from The Evening Leader
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Chief Cornplanter (1752 – 1836)
Chief & Diplomat of the Seneca People
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Charles Corwin (1883 – 1954)
Choirmaster, organist, music educator, founder of The Corning Philharmonic Symphony and co-founder of Corning-Pained Post Civic Music
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Isabel Walker Drake (1856 – 1936)
Early photographer who captured snapshots of local life in late 1800s & early 1900s
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Dr. Lucy Maltby (1900 – 1984)

Educator, home economist & founder of the Corning Glass Works Economic Division & Test Kitchen; shown here, forth from the left in the back row, with her 1917 North Side High senior class.
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Rev. Robert F. McNamara (1910 – 2009)
Corning native, historian, theologian and co-founder of the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society
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Col. William Murrell (1845 – 1932)
Union Army soldier, state legislator, newspaper editor & education advocate who came to the region later in life becoming a State Commander of the local chapter of the Civil War veterans group the G.A.R. and worked on educating the local African American community.
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Margaret Higgins Sanger (1879 – 1966)
Corning-born women’s health & birth control advocate, founder of Planned Parenthood
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James “Deacon” White (1847 – 1939)
Caton native, baseball pioneer, catcher, third baseman and member of the baseball hall of fame
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And here is the entire Notable Locals, Volume 1 PDF:
Have a great day!
Linda Reimer, SSCL







