Varick
Chittenden ’63,M ’66 can trace his roots to
some of the earliest settlers in the region. It seems fitting,
as much of his life's work has revolved around preserving the heritage
of the St. Lawrence River Valley.
Chittenden is president of the Grasse River Heritage Area Development
Corporation in Canton and an Emeritus Professor of English
at SUNY Canton. In addition to his English and
Education degrees
from St. Lawrence, he holds a master's degree in American folk
culture from SUNY Oneonta’s Cooperstown Graduate Program.
In 1986 Chittenden founded Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY);
he is the executive director of the organization for the study, preservation
and promotion of North Country ways of life. Visitors to the area
often make a stop at TAUNY's Main Street, Canton, location, not only
to learn about the area but also to shop for regionally produced
crafts and other products.
He has organized programs on traditional and contemporary folk art,
heirloom quilts, French and Mohawk influences, food customs, front-porch
music, waterfowl decoys and many other expressions of regional folkways.
Organizations ranging from local historical societies, libraries
and galleries to the National Endowment for the Arts have benefited
from his expertise and energy.
For his contributions to his native region, Chittenden was awarded
an Alumni Citation by St. Lawrence in 2004. At that time he
credited St. Lawrence with sparking his interest in local culture and
giving him “two degrees, an inquiring mind and a source of artistic
and cultural vitality.”
