ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Kathleen Connor has always had a love for museum education.

“I had finished work in schooling at Columbia University Teachers College,” said Connor, the George Eastman legacy curator. “I had done some internships in the museums in New York City. They are great places to do internships. The Museum of American History, Museum of the American Indian. So when I moved back to Rochester, I got a phone call asking for a new educator.”

Connor started her first day at the George Eastman House on Jan. 11, 1982.

“It was a snow day in Rochester, but it was my first day on the job,” Connor said. “I got up, got dressed and came to work. And his first greeting was, ‘Who the hell are you?’ And I said, ‘I'm Kathy, this is my first day on the job.’ And he was like, ‘Didn't you listen to the news or whatever?’ He goes, ‘The museum is closed.’ So he took me upstairs to my office, opened the door and turned around and says, ‘Oh yeah, and there's a washroom down the hall.’ And that was my orientation to the museum.”

Spending many years providing tours, organizing multiple events and sharing the story of the Eastman House, Connor is the longest-serving staff member in the history of the museum.

“I never in a million years would have thought I would have been here for 42 years,” Connor said. “But one of the things that's always been great about this place is there was always a challenge, always something new and different.”

From renovating to rearranging, Connor watched the house change throughout the years. With much more work still needed, Connor says it's time for her to retire. 

“Physically, I'm unable to do this job anymore,” Connor said. “I've worked my career to assemble here in any kind of jeopardy. And so I realize it's time when my hands hurt, or I can't move that oriental rug in the front like I used to. When it moves over, it's time. Physically, you can't do things like this anymore.”

Connor is making her own mark in a house filled with history. 

“I will miss the staff and that doggone staff lunchroom,” Connor said. “I know nobody gives that a lot of credit, but I love that lunchroom because it's where I interact with everybody. They make it a doable job, and that's why I really feel it's very important for the new person to meet them and keep them on board to help them to do that job.”