People at the SLCHA

Trent Trulock has been the St Lawrence County Historian and Executive Director of the St Lawrence County Historical Association since 1997. A native of Indiana, Trent has a BA in Anthropology from Indiana University and a MA in Anthropology from the University of Colorado. His Masters program focused on museums and education, and he has worked in the museum field since 1989.

In his capacity as County Historian and Executive Director of the SLCHA Trent spends his days answering questions on county history and historic preservation, giving history presentations and tours, working with other historians in the county and the state, representing the county and the SLCHA at history celebrations, overseeing the daily operation and finances of the SLCHA, writing grants, and working with SLCHA's members, volunteers and the general public to preserve St Lawrence County's history. When he is not working, Trent enjoys life in the North Country with his wife Cindy and daughter Emma.

J. Susanne (Sue) Longshore began working at the SLCHA as Administrative Assistant in September 1996. Her current position is Collections Manager and she is responsible for the care and documentation of all of the artifacts in the museum collection. Recently she has been busy organizing the transition of our collection from the old storage barn to the new Red Barn Addition. Her other duties at SLCHA include overseeing publication of The Chronicler, exhibits, membership, and helping to coordinate special events such as Civil War Weekend and our annual Antique and Artisan Show & Sale. She also serves as Deputy Historian for St Lawrence County.

JeanMarie Martello is the Archives Manager. She started working in the archives in late October of 2002. She does research fulfilling requests for information, helps people who come in to do historical or genealogical research, and maintains the archives.

Betsy Baker joined the SLCHA staff in 2004 as administrative assistant. Hers is often the voice callers hear on the phone; she also greets visitors, handles gift shop sales and mail, and writes media releases.

A Potsdam resident since 1963, Baker is a former news editor of North Country This Week, and a former reporter and editor of the Potsdam Courier-Freeman. She also worked as a regional representative for Governor Mario M Cuomo and taught studio voice as an adjunct instructor at St Lawrence University. Baker graduated from SUNY Potsdam in 1968 with a degree in music education. She has two adult children, Kate and Steve, and four Siamese cats.

Betsy Kepes of Colton is the writer and researcher for the St Lawrence Chronicler, our 4th grade publication. She joined SLCHA in February 2007. She enjoys being a history sleuth. Her North Country Public Radio production "Leonora Barry: First Voice for Working Women" earned awards from the Syracuse Press Club and the NYS Associated Press. She also produced special radio shows on novelist Irving Bachellor's "Eben Holden" and a full-cast production about nineteenth-century one room schools. She is currently the book reviewer for North Country Public Radio.

A native of Canton, NY, Betsy Kepes is a piano teacher, freelance writer and organic gardener. She and her husband, Tom Van de Water, have two sons. In the summer Betsy works as a wilderness trail contractor for the United States Forest Service in central Idaho.