Partner Hamilton “Bud” Driggs
Queer Places:
131 Hartsdale Rd, Rochester, NY 14622
345 Lake Ave, Rochester, NY 14608
8 Lafayette Pl, Rochester, NY 14607
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USA
Earl
William Kage (April 15, 1919 – June 12, 2008) was a Kodak photographer and
arts patron. He was a one man cultural institution in his native Rochester.
Distinguished by his pure white handlebar moustache, he was recognized as a
sponsor of opera, dance, fine arts and numerous other cultural institutions.
He worked at Eastman Kodak for 44 years, from youth to retirement, eventually becoming Head of Camera Research.
He was the son of Walter W Kage (1886–1987) and Alice C. Velia (1891–1951). He attended The University of Rochester. He served in the Army in World War II in England as a photographer for the Stars and Stripes newspaper. While stationed there he apprenticed himself to a well known horticulturist. Hence, his wide knowledge of flora. His country home in the Bristol Hills was a source of joy and comfort for him and his longtime partner, Hamilton “Bud” Driggs, and the friends who spent time there. It became a treasure of trees, ponds, and flowers. A Festival of Art every summer, (conceived by him, Hamilton, Carl Zollo, the Sculptor, and Tim Ferguson, old friends) engaged all in art making. The sale amongst the participants started a fund for purchasing prints for the Memorial Art Gallery in honor of Philly Parker, an artist friend who died at an early age.
By the 1950s the Eastman Kodak Company (Rochester, NY) had a number of gay male employees who, although not "out" by today’s standards, did not keep their sexual orientation secret. In fact, some historians purport that George Eastman, the father of modern photography and founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, was himself a gay man. Two examples were Earl Kage and his partner, Hamilton “Bud” Driggs, who shared a home on Lafayette Park and a 100-acre country estate in the Bristol Hills, both in the Rochester area. After their deaths in 2008, the estate was donated to the University of Rochester.
Kage danced for Thelma Biracree who taught Ballet at Eastman Theater. Earl taught Ball Room dancing at The Harley School. Earl Kage was instrumental in many of the Cultural Organizations in Rochester. As a teenager he went to the Memorial Art Gallery and was greeted by the two women who influenced him and legions of others. Gertrude Moore and her sister Isabel Herdle made him a life long afficionado of art. He started Artists in the Kitchen at the Clothesline at MAG, which provided further funds for print purchases. His dedication to the Arts landed him on Boards of the Friends of Eastman Opera, Garth Fagan Dance, Rochester City Ballet, The Aesthetic Education Institute, Friends of School of the Arts and affiliations with the George Eastman House of International Photography, Rochester Children's Theater and the RPO. He served as a Judge for many Art related shows over the years.
In 1987 Kage received the Culture and Arts Civic Award from the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, and in 1989 a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arts and Cultural Council. Kage became head of Kodak Camera Research after attending The University of Rochester and serving in the U.S. Army in England during World War II as a photographer for the Stars and Stripes newspaper.
Kage died at home at 89 years. His long time partner, Hamilton Driggs, survived him for only 5 months.
My published books:
