Sometimes it feels like there’s only two, maybe three, Rochesterians who made history. And while it cannot be overstated how impactful the contributions of Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony and George Eastman are — their social advocacy and innovations have been felt at the regional, state, national, and international level — they’re not the only people who lived here and left a mark.
Even the most esoteric hobbyist or amateur historian could find a Rochesterian hiding within the history of their area of interest. As a mid-size city, we punch well above our weight in societal contributions (example: when we were in the throes of earning our Flour City nickname, the royal family of England preferred to order goods from our region for their royal bakeries).
As this annual issue showcases 10 current Rochesterians working to make our little slice of paradise just a little bit better, here are 10 historical Rochesterians (of many, many more) that left their mark on society — and don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
Asa Dunbar (1754-1810s)
Dunbar was raised in a diverse Massachusetts community of religious sects, pioneers, natives and fellow free Black people. In 1791, he moved his family to the Genesee Valley, settling near Irondequoit Bay where he hunted game and gathered produce. By 1797, he helped develop the city of Tryon, literally (at six feet, seven inches tall, he was frequently called upon for construction projects). After the fall of Tryon in the 1810s, Dunbar moved his family to Canada, but his contributions to a young Rochester would remain.
Blanche Calloway (1902-1978)
Baltimore natives Cabell Calloway II and his wife Martha instilled a love of music into their children, namely daughter, Blanche, and middle son, Cabell III (who would later go by Cab). Blanche Calloway got her big break in 1927, following a national tour and domination of Chicago’s jazz scene. She became the first woman to lead an all-male jazz orchestra in 1931, yet struggled to reach the same heights as her brother due to sexism and racism in the music industry. Cab Calloway was always reverent towards his sister’s musical style, though, and how it influenced his own.
Howard Coles (1903-1996)
Born in nearby Mumford in 1903, Howard Coles attended West High School (now Wilson) downtown as the only Black male student. In 1930, he moved to New York City for a stint, then to Albany, finally landing in Chicago to work for “The Defender,” a national Black newspaper. Inspired by the work, Coles returned to Rochester and founded “The Frederick Douglass Voice” in 1933, focusing on Black history, advocacy, reform and community news. He expanded his social commentary in 1938 by becoming Rochester’s first Black radio announcer, and continued serving the Black community in multiple roles throughout his life.
Antoinette Brown Blackwell (1825-1921)
Following her parents’ strong religious convictions, Antoinette Brown became a full member of the Congregational Church in her hometown of Henrietta by the age of nine. She later graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio, returning to Henrietta as a traveling lecturer. On September 15, 1853, Brown was ordained as minister of the First Congregational Church in Butler (Wayne County), New York, making U.S. history as the first woman minister of a recognized denomination. She lived long enough to see the passage of the 19th Amendment, and legally voted at the age of 95.
Audrey Munson (1891-1996)
After her parents divorced when she was nine, Munson and her mother left Rochester for Rhode Island, eventually relocating to Manhattan in 1909. Munson was discovered as a model in 1915 by Felix Herzog while window-shopping on Fifth Avenue. He, in turn, welcomed her into his circle of famous artist friends, where she would go on to be one of the most prolific visual artist subjects, star in four silent films and achieve the title of America’s first supermodel; earning the nicknames the “Panama–Pacific Girl” and “American Venus.” Munson’s life took a tragic turn in 1919 with a deadly love triangle, and in 1931, at the age of 40, she was committed to a psychiatric asylum by her mother. Munson was a ward of state for more than 60 years, until her death at age 104.
Mary E. Clarke (1924-2011)
After completing her studies at West High School (now Wilson) in Rochester, Mary E. Clarke aided the World War II efforts in the private sector before enlisting into the Women’s Army Corps in 1945. She served in Berlin and Toyko before returning stateside as a commissioned officer. In 1978, she achieved the rank of Major General — the first woman to do so in U.S. Army history. Maj. Gen. Clarke retired in 1981 after serving her country for 36 years, the longest army career of any woman at the time.
New York Black Yankees (1931-1948) + Brooklyn Tigers (1936-1937)
While Rochester has its own history of homegrown pro sports teams, it has also warmly welcomed pro teams that started elsewhere: The New York Black Yankees, a prominent Negro League baseball team, played their 1948 season at Silver Stadium. They chose Rochester for its welcoming atmosphere for exhibition games in the past. In 1936, the second American Football League awarded Rochester a team, but operations soon moved to Brooklyn. The Syracuse Braves moved to Rochester midseason and lasted until November 1, 1936 before folding. Shortly after, the Brooklyn Tigers moved back and played at Silver Stadium, but also folded after the 1937 season.
Libanus Todd (1862-1933)
As an inexperienced 20-something, Libanus Todd sought to solve a unique problem: protecting the integrity of bank checks. In 1899, he developed a machine to improve trust between banks and their customers and revolutionized banking with the Todd Protectograph Company. During the Great Depression years later, Todd noticed the grand estates along East Avenue were losing their grandeur, so he conceived a plan to sustain the estates by employing skilled workers. The Rochester Plan was adopted nationwide and had a direct influence on the Public Works programs of FDR’s New Deal.
Dr. Algernon Crapsey (1847-1927)
When he moved to Rochester in 1879, Dr. Algernon Crapsey became minister of Calvary St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in the South Wedge. He developed summer classes, founded the St. Andrews Brotherhood (a mutual benefit charitable society) and created the first kindergarten school in the city. Dr. Crapsey also extended his social advocacy by giving lectures at other churches, leading retreats for Catholic nuns and founding the Citizens Political Reform Association. In 1906, he was embroiled in a political scandal with Episcopal leadership and was convicted of heresy (based on his questioning of the divinity of Jesus Christ). Dr. Crapsey left the church but continued his work as social reformist, serving as delegate to the International Peace Conference of 1907 at the Hague, officiating weddings and funerals, working as a parole officer and giving counsel to the sick and needy.
George Washington Goler (1864-1940) After relocating to Rochester in 1878 to work with his uncle (also George Washington Goler), the younger Goler earned his medical degree from the University of Buffalo in 1891, rising to the post of Rochester’s Health Officer in 1898. Devoted to public health, Goler worked to improve labor conditions and establish child health programs. He also reduced the city’s infant mortality rate by 50 percent, focusing on clean dairy milk sold to families. He educated farmers on hygiene, increased inspections and promoted safe handling amongst nurses and retailers. As his policies were replicated in other cities, national infant mortality decreased considerably.
