Kathryn Wendling
Character: Unforgettable People of Woodstock > Kathryn Wendling
“Historian, Author, & Friend to All”
(1932-2014)
Even those who didn’t know Kathryn Wendling personally, knew Kathy. For many years, she was a correspondent for the Vermont Standard, writing the paper’s most popular column, “Historically Speaking.” She wrote the column because she loved history, and she was dedicated to honoring and keeping alive the memories of those who were no longer with us. When she spoke of people long ago, she spoke of them as if they were treasured friends, and for Kathy they were, because she knew all the details of their lives from where they lived and went to school to their children’s names.
Kathy grew up in Richmond, Vermont, where she was the eldest of six children. She attended UVM.
While a college student, she worked at the Woodstock Inn as a waitress. It was there that she met Richard Wendling, a chef at the Inn. The two later married, and in 1965, they purchased the New England Inn (located at 41 Pleasant Street), which is now the Village Inn in Woodstock.
Kathy, like her husband, had a talent for culinary arts and was well-known for her wedding cakes as well as a Brandy Alexander Pie that was cited for its excellence by the New York Times.
After selling the Inn in 1975, Kathy held a succession of jobs which included being the credit manager for a skiwear company, a cook at Mertens House, and an assistant to the director of the Woodstock Historical Society.
Despite her many responsibilities with both work and raising a family (she had two children, Marjorie and Robert), Kathy found time to serve as the first president of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters, and later became the president of this organization at the state level. She also served on seven state boards, having been appointed by the Legislature, two governors, and the Vermont Supreme Court.
The New England Inn, which Kathy ran with her husband, Richard.
Kathy, as the retiring president of the League of Women Voters, passes the gavel to the incoming president, Eleanor Leonard.
Kathy with her daughter, Marjorie
Kathy with her husband, Richard, and two children
Kathy, with Governor Salmon, in the 1970s, as a member of the State of Vermont Transportation Board
As much as Kathy was committed to public service and sitting on boards, her true passion remained history - not just knowing it herself, but sharing it with others. If someone expressed an interest in a particular historical topic or place, the next day that person would likely find that Kathy had walked half a mile to deliver to them a book on the topic. She also enjoyed working with children, and she volunteered in the classroom teaching Pomfret and Vermont history to elementary school students. She taught herself how to use a computer to lay out publications, and she put her skills to good use working as a volunteer to lay out newsletters for Mertens House and the Coolidge Foundation and a book entitled A South Woodstock Legacy, Foods from the Past, which benefited the South Woodstock Fire Department. She also authored a book of her own on the local schools and supervisory union entitled From One Room School to Union High School.
In appreciation for her many contributions and years of service, Kathy was named Citizen of the Year in 2000 by the Woodstock Historical Society. In 2007, she was honored by the Vermont League of Local Historical Societies with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her many contributions in preserving and sharing history.
Kathy’s house in Pomfret
In her final years, Kathy moved from her beloved little white cape in Pomfret, right next to the Abbott Memorial Library, to Mellishwood on Pleasant Street in Woodstock. There Kathy often spoke of how fortunate she was to live so near to one of the Revere Bells and the inn that she had once run with her husband.
When she could no longer walk around town, she opted to sit outdoors in a chair on the front lawn of Mellishwood. It mattered not if it was cold, Kathy would be out there, bundled up, reading, learning, and greeting those who passed by.
Kathy unselfishly gave love and friendship and inspired others to return it.
It was a sad day in 2014 when Kathy passed away, but those who were lucky enough to know her well can content ourselves that Kathy is not alone. Waiting in the great beyond are the many people that Kathy grew to know and care about while studying history, who have been waiting to make her acquaintance.
Kathy with daughter, Marge, and great-grandson, Alex
Kathy receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Vermont League of Local Historical Societies.
Kathy with close friend and fellow history buff Jon Davis
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