Imagine leaving home as a child and spending the next five years with total strangers in another country. Over 1,300 children between the ages of five and fifteen did just that during World War II and 156 of them stayed in the Rochester area. Known as the Kodakids, they were the children of employees from Kodak’s plant in Harrow, England.
Mary Jo Lanphear, Brighton’s Town Historian since 1986, will talk more about the Kodakids during our next presentation from the Irondequoit Historical Society.
Kodakids lived with Kodak employees in their homes in Brighton, Irondequoit, Pittsford, Penfield, and Rochester. And many kept in touch with the children after their return home.
One of the ships that made it across the Atlantic was the Duchess of Athol, which arrived at the Port of Montreal on August 24, 1940. The first group of 118 Kodakids took a train to Brighton Station, a small passenger terminal that used to be located near the intersection of East Avenue and Winton Road. They were met by Sheriff Al Skinner and a contingent of Kodak officials who escorted them to temporary homes at Hillside Children’s Center and the Strong Memorial Hospital Nurses’ Residence before placement with their permanent families.
This story of 156 children rescued from the ravages of World War II still holds our interest today.
Mary Jo Lanphear has spent her career as Brighton’s Town Historian researching topics of local history, presenting public talks (including one at the Irondequoit Library about Asa Dunbar), working with school children, and assisting town staff with projects, including the Historic Preservation Commission.
Irondequoit Historical Society Presents Little Ambassadors: The Kodakids of World War II will be held on Thursday, March 7, at 7:00 PM. No registration is necessary, so please join us if you can!
Published on March 1, 2024.
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