Historian Paul Scanlon's new book finds a colorful, richer history in 'sleepy little Rochester'

Sep. 5—ROCHESTER — Except for a few avid historians, the memory of Rochester businessman Frank E. Williams is dimmed, if not extinguished. He died nine decades ago. Yet his legacy lives on because of a decision he made before his death that continues to brighten the lives of Rochester's children to this day.

Williams frequently played checkers in the evening. One evening in 1931, while playing with his friend William Kee at Kee's grocery store on Fifth Street Southwest, their game was interrupted by a screeching car. The car had just missed hitting a child playing in the street. The child was unharmed, but Williams thought the near-accident was emblematic of a problem: The lack of playground spaces for kids.

"Rochester should have more playgrounds, so children need not play in the streets," Williams is quoted as saying.

"Why don't you do something about it? You have the money," a friend said.

And he did. When Williams died on May 18, 1932, at 71, he left some of his property to the city of Rochester to buy playground equipment for children. The property in question was a farm implement building at the southeast corner of First Avenue and Third Street Southwest. It was once home to Bilotti's Pizza and Half Barrel Bar & Restaurant and currently houses

507 (Pub)lic House

as well as John Kruesel's General Merchandise.

In the nine decades since his death, more than half a million of William's trust has been spent on playground equipment. The trust has a principal value of more than $600,000.

The story of Williams' life-changing generosity can be found in Paul Scanlon's new book, "Rochester Memories: Historic Tales From Med City." And it is a reminder of how history shapes the world and city in which we live, though we may have lost track of the historical figures who shaped it.

The

book is a sequel to his first historical foray,

"Rochester Stories: A Med City History," that was released two years ago.

"At the end of the first book, I had a bunch of stories that hadn't fit," Scanlon said. "And so I thought, 'Are these leftovers? Or is this good stuff that's worthy of publication?' I wouldn't be able to tell until I'd written more."

Over time, Scanlon, whose career at Mayo spanned 35 years in pulmonary and critical care, came to appreciate a vantage point that intimately connected him to some of those stories. Scanlon was raised in

Pill Hill,

in a house whose first residents were Roy Watson Sr. and his family. Roy Watson Sr. was a one-time president/CEO of Kahler Corporation and, later, his son Roy Watson Jr. served as general manager of the Kahler Hotel and board chair of the Kahler Corporation.

A summer job at Mayo Clinic at 17 put Scanlon in proximity with Mayo researchers and scientists such as Earl Wood, whose contributions would have historic ramifications. Wood was a Mayo physiologist who helped invent the G-suit.

Scanlon also knew a nephew of Leland Fiegel, a Rochester native and decorated World War II bomber pilot who died in a mid-air plane explosion in 1948. A tribute to his memory would play a key role in the

decision to build the IBM plant in Rochester.

"I grew up in Rochester, a sleepy little town," Scanlon said. "I thought there was no history other than maybe a little about the Mayo Clinic. And it turns out there's a lot of interesting stories."

Scanlon's book includes dozens of stories about figures, both historic and long-forgotten, going back to the time of Rochester's settlement. Beyond the twin peaks of Mayo Clinic and IBM, the history of the Rochester area teems with figures whose imprint sometimes extended beyond the area.

Though presented in chronological order, readers can pick and choose what they want to read. There are stories about doctors, researchers and scientists, as one might expect, as well as builders, architects, teachers, bank robbers, rogues and businessmen whose businesses would become household names.

Here's a sample of some of these colorful and productive figures:

A Harvard-trained architect whose career took off after World War I, Harold Crawford was incredibly prolific. He distinguished himself in terms of both aesthetic design and the number of buildings and houses he designed. His style was diverse, and "each building was unique," Scanlon writes. "His buildings are among the most cherished in Rochester."

Between

1916 and 1945, Crawford designed 70 houses in southwest Rochester,

and 23 elsewhere, 30 commercial and agricultural buildings, 15 government buildings, 12 schools, 10 creameries, four medical medical buildings, four churches and four apartment buildings.

She would start work as a librarian at Mayo Clinic in 1907, but she would become known as a fearsome editor of Mayo papers. She was a "tough critic" and autocratic in her work. Many took exception to her editorial intrusions, but Maud Mellish Wilson enjoyed the support of the Mayo brothers who recognized the need for a firm editorial hand, even in their own work.

During

her 26 years at Mayo,

it is believed she edited 6,000 papers for Mayo physicians and scientists. Dr. Will Mayo considered her the most influential person at Mayo (after the Mayo brothers and Henry Plummer.)

Belva Snodgrass started her

education career as a teacher in Rochester in 1922.

She would serve 15 years as principal of Rochester High School. She was a strict disciplinarian but was also beloved as a creative problem solver.

How she dealt with a wave of Halloween vandalism illustrated her deft touch. She organized annual Halloween parties at the high school with required attendance. She also brokered a deal with local businesses and students that brought an end to the vandalism: If the vandalism stopped, then Soldiers Memorial football field would get lights paid for by the business community. In 1936, the lights went up.

In 1971, on Snodgrass' 81st birthday, a celebration was held in her honor at which 300 former students attended.

In 1980, the school board was looking for a name for a new middle school. It wanted to honor Snodgrass by naming it after her. But she urged against it. "No child wants to attend a school named Snodgrass," she said. The school board named the new school "Willow Creek."

He was known as the "Porn King" in 1980, but his life had unintended consequences for Rochester's downtown. He was Rochester's Larry Flynt and in 1990 was convicted of numerous counts of racketeering, obscenity and tax fraud. He was the first person in the U.S. to be sentenced for pornography violations under the federal racketeering law.

His supporters considered him a defender of free speech. After his conviction, Ferris Alexander forfeited all his business assets. They included five stores in the 300 block of South Broadway. While in business, Alexander's ownership of much of that block prevented redevelopment and helped preserve the historic nature of the neighborhood.

Today, that block and the adjacent Southwest Third Street and Southwest First Avenue represent the largest swath of vintage commercial properties in the downtown area.

Scanlon's book, published by Charleston, South Carolina-based The History Press, will be available on Sept. 25 and costs $25. It can be bought online via Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. It will also be available at the Mayo Gift Shop, the Rochester Art Center and the History Center of Olmsted County.