Joseph C. Palamountain Jr.
Joseph Cornwall Palamountain Jr.鈥檚 22-year legacy as Skidmore College鈥檚 fourth president is rich with milestones in the institution鈥檚 history.
During his tenure from 1965 to 1987, the 650-acre Jonsson Campus was constructed, and the College moved from downtown Saratoga Springs to its current location on North Broadway; Skidmore transitioned from an all-women鈥檚 college to a coeducational institution; Skidmore鈥檚 enrollment nearly doubled to about 2,100; and the College鈥檚 endowment and net worth significantly increased.
Months after retiring from Skidmore in June 1987, Palamountain died at age 66 on Nov. 23, 1987, in Saratoga Springs, the result of a heart condition.
Palamountain was born Nov. 26, 1920, in West Newton, Massachusetts. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1942 and served in the Navy during World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander. He earned master's and doctoral degrees in political economy and government from Harvard University in 1948 and 1951, respectively. After teaching in Harvard鈥檚 government department until 1955, he joined Wesleyan University, becoming a full professor in 1959 and then provost in 1961.
Palamountain鈥檚 more than two decades of leadership at Skidmore began in 1965 and saw the College through a period of significant change. In addition to the doubling of the student body, the near-doubling of Skidmore鈥檚 faculty, the move to a new campus and the shift to a coeducational institution, his tenure saw the creation of one of the first external degree programs in New York state, the University Without Walls, as well as innovative changes in curriculum, the chartering of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and a major boost to Skidmore鈥檚 financial health, due in part to the $25 million Celebration Campaign launched in 1985.
He was also known as a strong champion of student interests, supporter of the arts, accessible and concerned administrator and sensitive diplomat, according to colleagues.
鈥淚t is impossible to separate the leadership of Joe Palamountain from the extraordinary achievements of Skidmore during his presidency,鈥� said David W. Marcell, then provost and vice president for academic affairs at the College, at the time of Palamountain鈥檚 passing.
At his final commencement as Skidmore鈥檚 president, Palamountain was bid farewell as a member of the Class of 1987, the recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Laws. 鈥淚t has taken you, the Class of 1987, less than four years to earn your Skidmore degree, while it has taken me 22,鈥� he said in his final address. 鈥淚 am obviously a slow learner, and more than this, I couldn鈥檛 have earned it without the constant help, counsel and tutelage of my wife, Anne.鈥�
Anne Palamountain, who died Jan. 24, 2015, was a leader in building endowment for financial aid at Skidmore and continued such work after her husband鈥檚 passing. In 1979 she spearheaded the launch of one of the College鈥檚 major fundraising events, the annual Palamountain Scholarship Benefit, which remains a highlight of Saratoga Springs鈥� summer scene.
Joseph Palamountain was the author or co-author of several books on politics and the economy and wrote ''The Story of Skidmore College,'' published in 1971.
Also an avid participant in community and cultural affairs, he served on the boards of Adirondack Trust Company, Albany Medical Center, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, artists鈥� retreat Yaddo and Saratoga Springs City Center. He was also a trustee of the State Higher Education Services Corporation.
Skidmore鈥檚 Palamountain Hall is named in his honor.