Ida Kenyon

This rocking chair once belonged to Ida Sallan Kenyon.. “Frau” Kenyon, as she was known, was born in Prussia in 1830. At an early age she lost her parents and siblings and moved in with her aunt. Due to political upheaval in Prussia, they emigrated to Staten Island in 1852, later moving to Almond, NY. After attending the Alfred Academy she taught as a school teacher for many years, eventually marrying the university’s first president, William Kenyon. She then became a well-loved professor of Modern Languages and Literature at Alfred. Her obituary described her as ” a woman of unique personality: strong, scholarly, energetic, and deeply spiritual.” She also planted many flowers around campus, some of which still grow today around the Steinheim and behind the carillon.