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.
