Charles V. Wait
Civic and Business Leader, Historian, Philanthropist
Charles Wait was born May 28, 1951, into a family with long roots in Saratoga Springs. Charles attended a one-room schoolhouse in Wilton before transferring into the new Caroline Street School. Intimidated about coming in to a big city school, he faced the challenge head on, just as did for many things later in life.
Charles developed deep roots in the community. He still skis with his fellow high school team members and remains close friends with his classmates. He observed firsthand the value of community through his own volunteer service and his family’s involvement in the city’s renaissance. Charles also saw a not-so-bright future for Saratoga Springs as a teenager. The once-vibrant downtown was full of vacant storefronts. He and his friends simply could not wait to leave the city and never come back.
Following the suggestion of his father, Newman “Pete” Wait, president of the Adirondack Trust Company, that Charles try working in the financial sector, he moved to New York City, where he did market research for a company on Wall Street. In 1974 he returned to Saratoga Springs and started working at Adirondack Trust, starting as a bookkeeper. Over time he held almost every possible job position at the bank.
In 1983 his father died tragically in a fire. Soon, Charles was thrust into the presidency. He is now seen not only as a bank leader but as a community leader. Today he thoroughly enjoys his work in banking, especially because it is a business where he is the third generation to serve as bank president and where he has seen 11 family members employed at the bank or on the board over time.