Retired history teacher Rich MacAlpine taught the broad strokes of American history for thirty-four years. With that background and his involvement with the Yates County History Center in Penn Yan, New York, in retirement he has focused on how the local community was affected by major historical events. MacAlpine has been the editor and chief writer for the History Center's publication, Yates Past, since 2008 and has written five books on Yates County history.