Adirondacks
Marylou Whitney is currently the largest private landowner in the state New York by owning Whitney Park.
Whitney has ties to the Long Lake area in the Adirondacks. Upon CV's death in 1992, Marylou inherited Whitney Industries, a large gravel and lumber business with 51,000 acres (210 km²) of critical Adirondack real estate. With John Hendrickson taking the lead in negotiations, some 14,700 acres (59 km²) were sold to New York State for $17.1 million, only after initially seeking rights to develop 40 exclusive shoreline estates on the western stretch of the Whitney Estate. Environmentalists strongly advocated New York State to purchase 14,700 acres. The acquired lands are called the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area.
On July 16, 2007 Marylou Whitney and her husband John Hendrickson donated $250,000 to the Long Lake Library, a gift of five times the library's operating budget. In celebration of the gift, the library will be renamed The Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Long Lake Library. The Marylou Whitney Medical Complex in Long Lake, New York was also dedicated in her honor for her devotion to their needs. She is also a supporter of the Long Lake United Methodist Church.
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