James Wallace Ely ’32

WALLY ELY, a distinguished upstate New York banker and public servant, died July 3, 1990, as a result of a crippling stroke.

Except for a short stint in N.Y.C., Wally's entire business life was spent in Rochester. He joined the Security Trust Co. in 1935, and became its president in 1960. in 1965 he formed the first bank holding company in N.Y. State. He retired in 1983. He was a director of many corporations, including Rochester Gas & Electric, Gould Pumps, Sybron, Commercial Controls, Rochester Telephone, Page Airways, Davenport Machine, and others.

Wally's pro bono activities were bewildering in their number and variety. He was at various times president of Highland Hospital, the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, the Y.M.C.A., and the Eastnian Dental Center. He was a member of the Federal Reserve Bank, Buffalo branch. He was a trustee of the Univ. of Rochester, the Davenport Hatch Foundation, the Third Presbyterian Church, and Harley School. He was chairman of the Brighton Planning and Zoning Board and president of the Natl. Robert Moms Assn. Few people have devoted more energy and skill to their communities than Wally did. For all that, he found time to be an avid fisherman and grower of roses.

Surviving him are his wife of 57 years, the former Edythe Farnham; two sons, Dr. James W. Ely Jr., and William Ely; a daughter, Susanne McQuilkin; a sister, Mrs. Frederick Vichert; a brother, D. Raymond Ely; ten grandchildren and one greatgrandchild. Our sympathies go out to them all.

The Class of 1932