Alden first began working with the County in 1997 as Deputy Historian. She became the first full-time historian in 2004, managing the County’s public research room, historical archives, community outreach and advocacy, and overseeing the activities of the County’s 17 town historians. Alden said she’ll miss developing new ways to share local history with people of all ages and walks of life the most, especially student interns, upon her retirement.
“Serving as Livingston County historian has been such an honor,” she said. “I absolutely loved my job and continually challenged myself to do all I could to be an advocate for local history in the place that I have called home for my entire life. I loved meeting so many interesting people from the county and all across the state.”
Among her accomplishments as County Historian, Alden oversaw organizing the relocation of the Historian’s office from a room in the back of the Livingston County Historical Society Museum in Geneseo to the County’s Murray Hill Campus. Her tenure has been marked by increased accessibility for the public at large to the County’s vast historical collections, made possible through new technologies and one-on-one research assistance. Alden also worked to document the impact of the Vietnam War on Livingston County, facilitating the publication of the first local book on the subject, entitled “Blue Devils in Vietnam.” Other titles to her credit include “The Sullivan Campaign of the Revolutionary War: Impact on Livingston County, NY,” and “Women’s Biographical Review: Achievers, Leaders, and Role Models, Livingston County, NY,” the first women’s biographical review for Livingston County.
Beyond her role as County Historian, Alden served on The Association of Public Historians of New York State board, the Association of Preservation of Geneseo board, the Rochester Regional Library Council, and the Documentary Heritage Advisory Board. She was a trustee of the Livingston County Historical Society, the New York State Historical Records Advisory Board, the New York State Historian’s Advisory Board, and the Central NY Women’s Suffrage Historic Sites Advisory Committee. She also helped organize and coordinate the Friends of Livingston County History and was a founding member and officer of the Government Appointed Historians of Western New York.
In retirement, Alden plans to spend more time with her daughters and grandchildren and less time in front of the computer screen. She’s looking forward to more days outside focusing on health and wellness, and putting a dent in her ever-growing reading list.
For more information on the Livingston County Historian’s Office, please visit https://www.livingstoncounty.us/162/County-Historian.
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