The Image is Rochester
Gabe was invited to write the book, The Image is Rochester, a pictorial essay on Rochester, New York. The book, published in May 1997, was the only one of the national series on U.S. cities published by Towery Publishing that went into a second printing due to higher than expected demand. Gabe was a frequent guest lecturer, emcee and sought-after speaker for many community events and organizations.
Book summary: “To the uninitiated, Rochester is but a dot above the New York State Thruway, located somewhere between Syracuse and Buffalo. But you need only pend a few hours here to discover that the splendor of a river gorge and waterfalls, magnificent mansions and manicured gardens, the richness of history, and a feast of music all make Rochester much more than just a spot on a map,” so writes Gabe Dalmath about his hometown in The Image is Rochester, which is often overlooked, is a quiet leader among American cities. The metropolis has progressed from being “The Flour City," derived from its early 19th-century origins as a gristmill town, to “The World’s Image Centre,” renowned for such visionary corporate giants as Eastman Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, and Xerox. Through the transformation, Rochester has maintained its small-town ideals. It is a place where volunteerism is so strong that the city was deemed America’s kindest by Reader’s Digest, where everyone finds time to play a few rounds of golf, where Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass once ought for their beliefs and were celebrated for it. Dalmath’s uncovering of thee rich qualities is complemented by G.R. DeFranco’s stunning collections of photos by the area’s finest photographers, all of which show that Rochester is indeed more than just a spot on the map. It is a community, in the truest sense of the word.
“...You need only spend a few hours here to discover that the splendor of a river gorge and waterfalls, magnificent mansions and manicured gardens, the richness of history, and a feast of music all make Rochester much more than just a spot on a map.”
“Spend just a few days, and you’ll find our city to be a hub of high-tech firms. You’ll also be struck by the enthusiasm on more than a dozen college campuses and the beauty of the sun’s reflection on a crystal clear lake.”
“Spend a few months, and you’ll discover why Rochester has been the envy of the nation for health care, why the world buys what Rochesterians manufacture, and why the best in the game come here to play golf.”
“Spend even longer, and Rochester will begin to feel like home. A beautiful, accessible, livable home. The city grows on you – slowly but surely – like the grapevines of Naples or Canandaigua. The Finger Lakes are like the warm grasp of a close friend on your shoulder – they entice you to stay around for a while. And before you know it, you may never leave,”
“Spend a lifetime here, and you will have lived well.”
