Gretchen Ralph
Keywords: Lake Placid Club, Lake Placid, NYSCA, Government, Amsterdam
Interviewed 4/26/2018 by Kayt Gochenaur as part of the Oral History Project at Will Rogers
Gretchen Ralph nee Pierce was born in Utica NY on July 25th of 1928. She grew up on a dairy farm in Clinton, NY and is first generation Dutch. The last of six children, Gretchen grew up wandering the woods and farmland of the farm; she says she, “was a child of nature, really”. Gretchen remembers when the farm first got electricity after congress passed the Rural Electrification act of 1936. She loved reading, and was always excited to go to the library. The salutatorian of her high school class, Gretchen attended Syracuse University for two years before marrying John Ralph and having kids. They went up to the Lake Placid Club often, as John was an avid skier. Eventually they rented a house in Lake Placid. After raising her 4 children Gretchen started doing volunteer work and became the president of the Junior League, and president of the Syracuse Symphony. She served on the NY State Council of the Arts, and eventually became a lobbyist for 1300 symphony orchestras. Gretchen worked for 18 years as the former NY Senator Alfonso D’Amato’s executive assistant. During this time Gretchen traveled to Amsterdam often, and her daughter eventually moved there. At the time of this interview Gretchen had lived in Will Rogers for a year.
Interview audio may be edited or redacted for clarity and/or privacy. Audio is part of the Oral History Collection at Historic Saranac Lake.
Interviewed 4/26/2018 by Kayt Gochenaur as part of the Oral History Project at Will Rogers
Gretchen Ralph nee Pierce was born in Utica NY on July 25th of 1928. She grew up on a dairy farm in Clinton, NY and is first generation Dutch. The last of six children, Gretchen grew up wandering the woods and farmland of the farm; she says she, “was a child of nature, really”. Gretchen remembers when the farm first got electricity after congress passed the Rural Electrification act of 1936. She loved reading, and was always excited to go to the library. The salutatorian of her high school class, Gretchen attended Syracuse University for two years before marrying John Ralph and having kids. They went up to the Lake Placid Club often, as John was an avid skier. Eventually they rented a house in Lake Placid. After raising her 4 children Gretchen started doing volunteer work and became the president of the Junior League, and president of the Syracuse Symphony. She served on the NY State Council of the Arts, and eventually became a lobbyist for 1300 symphony orchestras. Gretchen worked for 18 years as the former NY Senator Alfonso D’Amato’s executive assistant. During this time Gretchen traveled to Amsterdam often, and her daughter eventually moved there. At the time of this interview Gretchen had lived in Will Rogers for a year.
Interview audio may be edited or redacted for clarity and/or privacy. Audio is part of the Oral History Collection at Historic Saranac Lake.