Poughkeepsie New Yorker

Thursday October 5, 1944

Miss Kenyon Leaves City

Miss Helen Kenyon, former Chairman of the board of trustees of Vassar college, who has been a resident of Poughkeepsie since 1913, has gone to New York to make her home. Miss Kenyon was elected chairman of the Missions council of the Congregational Christian church in Cleveland in January of this year and this work consumes a good portion of her time in New York and about the country.

An alumna of Vassar college, class of '05, Miss Kenyon has been a champion of close relationship between the college and community for the past 25 or 30 years. She became president of the Vassar Alumnae association in 1918 and held that office until 1921. Miss Kenyon also was treasurer of a $3,000,000 alumnae fund campaign in 1921-23. She became alumnae trustee in 1923 and served in that capacity until 1929, when she was first elected chairman of the board of trustees of the college, a post which she relinquished in 1939.

Miss Kenyon is a member of the National board of Home Missions of the Congregational church and has served as a member of the local Congregational church. There has been no period of Miss Kenyon's residence here that has not enlisted her active interest in a variety of community activities. Last year she served as chairman of the Community Chest campaign and when the open forums were popular, she gave them her full support. She was chairman for several years of the Public Health Nursing association in the town of Poughkeepsie and for a time she was active in town politics. After the women received the franchise to vote, Miss Kenyon became the first Republican woman committee member in the town. She was one of the organizers of the Rombout Riding and Hunt club, and gave the club its name.

Miss Kenyon's hospitality at Cliffdale, her former residence, has been one of her special contributions to the community. The estate was recently sold to the International Business Machines.