PACNY is pleased to present the Jasena R. Foley Award to Jane Tracy in recognition of her commitment and accomplishments to educate, promote, and advocate for a preservation ethic in Central New York.
Jane Tracy stepped down this year from her service as Historian for the Town of Onondaga after serving in that role for 28 years. Jane took over the role in 1984 from Jasena Foley, for whom this award is named. Jane’s knowledge of the history of Onondaga Hollow (Valley) and Onondaga Hill are unparalleled. During her tenure as Town Historian, Jane wrote the book God’s Green Acres (a history of the Town of Onondaga), which was published in 1998 for the town bicentennial. She also wrote and edited many house tour booklets, which are invaluable resources for local historians.
Most important, Jane has always been a public historian – committed to and engaged in documentary history, oral history, and preservation of the buildings and places that make history come alive. She has been a strong voice for the protection and preservation of historic resources in the Town of Onondaga. She worked with PACNY on many projects in the 1990s to protect buildings and landscapes in the Town of Onondaga and on the Southside of the City of Syracuse, especially in the efforts to save the Onondaga County Poor House (which was ultimately unsuccessful). Recently, she was instrumental in working with Onondaga Community College (OCC) to restore a small burial ground of the Town of Onondaga’s pioneers, located on the OCC campus.
PACNY sincerely thanks Jane Tracy for her many years of service to the community as an advocate and educator about history and historic preservation.
Please join us as we recognize our Awardees. This year’s PACNY awards ceremony will be held on Sunday May 19, 2013 at 2:00 pm at Temple Concord. See pacny.net/awards/ for RSVP information and more details.
