Remembering Clarence Petty
Clarence Petty passed away Monday evening. I met him a decade ago, when he was already marching into his mid-90s.
When he died at his home in the St. Lawrence Valley, he was 104. (Listen to Adirondack Explorer editor Phil Brown's remembrance here.)
He struck me at the time as one of the vital human links in the Adirondack Park. He's a link between the local community and the broader culture that loves these mountains.
He's a link between the visceral and experiential -- no one walked and paddled more miles inside the Blue Line than Clarence -- and the thoughtful and even intellectual.
He's a link between the old bones of the Park (spending summer days in the Cold River Country with the famous hermit Noah Rondeau) and the ambitious new conservation spirit (advocating for conservation of Follensby Pond).
Obviously, Clarence was controversial at times; not everyone -- probably a small percentage of his neighbors -- shared his vision for how the Adirondacks should evolve.
But I don't know anyone who questioned his integrity or his earnest love for this landscape.
Do you have Clarence memories? Comment below.
posted by Brian Mann @ 12/01/2009 09:33:00 AM
5 Comments
5 Comments:
I first learned of Clarence Petty after stumbling across a biography of his life published about ten years ago while shopping at the Old Forge Hardware store. I still own the book (the name escapes me at the moment). The cover is a picture of him sitting in what I think is an Adirondack guide book. It's a great read about a great advocate of the Adirondack Park (and so much more). If ever the phrase "A life well lived" applies to the life of a human being, it applies to his. I really enjoyed reading it and think I'll do so again. RIP, Mr. Petty....
Did you know that Clarence was a prominent figure in North Country aviation in addition to his Adirondack work?
I took my first flying lessons from Clarence in Potsdam about 1986 or so. He was a natural pilot.
He said he was a flight instructor for the military during 'the war'. Later he was a pilot for a NY governor (I don't recall whom). He didn't like flying around politicians.
From a March 17th, 2004 press release announcing the dedication of the first 'public' building at the Potsdam Airport:
The new building will be dedicated to Clarence Petty, a legend in the North Country.
Mr. Petty began teaching flying lessons in Potsdam in 1938 and has instructed hundreds of students over a 60 year period.
Mr. Petty will be in attendance at the dedication ceremony and will cut the ribbon on the new building named in his honor, The Clarence Petty Aviation Center.
Yes, the book I mentioned in the first post devotes a great many pages to his pilot training, missions in WW II, and the flight school he established years later. If you happen to subscribe to Adirondack Life magazine, you'll see this book depicted in the occasional advertisements and articles about books on the Adirondacks. It's a fascinating read if for no other reason than the fact that Mr. Petty's life was so full and very much intertwined with the Adirondack Park.
The biography is by Christopher Angus, The Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of Clarence Petty: Wilderness Guide, Pilot, and Conservationist.
Clarence Petty has been on my mind for many years. I took 7 1/2 hours of flight instruction from him. Clarence was 91 years young at the time. I did not follow through on my private pilots license endeavor however I have always had a great deal of respect for Clarence and this brought me to read all I could find on him. Knowing him encourages me to live my life to the fullest as Clarence did.
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