A Lasting Legacy
- Rachel Dutil
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
“An uncommon combination of head, hand, and heart.”
─ Description used by Dr. Joseph Burke in William H. Miner: The Man and the Myth
to describe William Miner.
Carrying on the Miner Legacy is a privilege for those of us fortunate enough to be a small part of it.
Miner Institute is one piece of that legacy. William Miner's 1923 trust envisioned a college where education and research programs for "training worthy young men and women" to "advance the science of agriculture." Miner Institute was founded in 1951 and still carries out William Miner's vision 75 years later with a working dairy farm, a herd of Morgan horses, science-based education programs for college undergraduates, environmental and agricultural research programs, and a wide range of public outreach activities.
Additionally, Miner established an endowment in that 1923 trust to provide funding not only for what became Miner Institute, but also for Physicians' Hospital and the Chazy Central Rural School. Funds for the endowment were amassed from the railroad appliance company that Miner founded in 1894. From the fortune that William Miner accumulated through his successful railroad career, he funded the construction of the $2 million school which consolidated 11 one-room schoolhouses and also paid salaries for teachers and staff and provided bussing and electricity to the school for decades. The Chazy Central Rural School opened in 1916. He also funded the $4 million construction of the state-of-the-art Physicians' Hospital which opened in 1926.
One way to get a good sense of the incredible legacy of William and Alice Miner, is by viewing the 2016 documentary, Heart's Delight: The Story of William H. Miner produced by Paul Frederick. In honor of the film's 10th anniversary, Mountain Lake PBS will be airing the documentary this spring.
Below is an interview recently aired on Mountain Lake Journal to promote the upcoming airing of the documentary.