John McClintock, who died Jan. 1 at 86 of bladder cancer, in an undated photo from his boyhood in Albany. He was the son of a surgeon.

Founding archivist John McClintock is seen at Albany Academy with a copy of his history tome, “Our Academy.”

John McClintock in his Battalion uniform at Albany Academy, where he was a Cadet Major the year he graduated in 1957.

ALBANY — Nobody knew more about the 212-year history of Albany Academy than archivist John McClintock.

When he died on Jan. 1 at 86 after a two-year struggle with bladder cancer, it meant the loss of irreplaceable institutional memory and unwavering devotion to his beloved alma mater. McClintock graduated with distinction in 1957 and later taught history at Albany Academy, in addition to serving as its archivist.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

“We would not have our outstanding archives without him,” said Chris Lauricella, head of school. “He was the founding archivist and returned a second time after a hiatus to get things back into top shape. He was a true gentleman.”

“His face lighted up and his eyes brightened when he started talking about Albany Academy history,” said Vince Zabinski, an eighth-grade history teacher since 1984. “He was a fountain of information about our school.”

One example of McClintock’s legacy is “Our Academy,” an 835-page volume that contains biographical sketches of 7,883 students who attended the academy between 1815 and 1915. McClintock rescued the remnants of a manuscript after a father and son who started it died. It had languished in a safe at the school for the better part of a century.

“Call me McClintock the scrivener,” he told me for a feature story in........

© Times Union