From New York City, he, like many just-out-of-school doctorates looking to teach at the college level, went where he could become employed, including Michigan, Indiana, Clarkson College and eventually SUNY New Paltz, where he stayed rooted from 1965 until his retirement in 1980.
Retirement hardly slowed Mabee down as he wrote several books on historical subjects and issues throughout the Hudson Valley, including Sojourner Truth and a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Samuel F.B. Morse, the inventor most recognized for the Morse Code, who lived in Poughkeepsie. He also tackled such subjects as Father Divine, the African-American evangelist who founded several interracial communities in Ulster County beginning in the 1930s, as well as detailed histories of the Wallkill Valley Railroad and the Hudson Valley Railroad that ran across the Hudson River before the bridge caught fire in 1974 (and has now been restored as a State Park, Walkway Over the Hudson).
His most recent book, due to be published by Purple Mountain Press this spring, deals with the tale of two stories, both of which had the same result: the preservation of large parcels along the Shawangunk Ridge. “The book chronicles two major stories. The first is the effort by the Marriott Corporation to purchase and build a big hotel, as well as apartments, in and around Minnewaska Lake,” he said. “The second is the story of John Bradley’s proposition to sell his large parcel of land, known as the Awosting Reserve, and turn it into a large, gated residential community.”
The public outcry against both of these proposals was so intense and overarching that the state stepped in. Both parcels, at different times, were purchased by New York State and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, making them part of the State Parks system, which allows access in combination with land preservation and stewardship.
While he wrote the stories presenting both sides as “neutral” as he possibly could, Mabee said, “In the end, I personally believe in preservation — particularly this large tract of magnificent land in and around the Shawangunk Mountains that is only 75 miles north of New York City and includes several sky lakes, unique ecosystems and widely popular rock-climbing access, that should be preserved both for the animals and fauna that rely on it for their habitat and for those who want to access it for recreation purposes.”
Mabee was quick to point out the many friends and editors who read through the various drafts offering comments and criticisms, as well as Rene Ramos, the photographer for the book, which includes many great shots.
At 98, the Gardiner town historian and author shows no signs of slowing down. “Right now I’m actually working on my autobiography,” he said. “I’m just at the point where I’m entering in some key diary entries from my first trip back to China in 1981.” Like all of his books, rest assured that this will be filled with incredible tales and riveting historical detail!
