Primitive Cemetery Mexico NY

05/18/2026

One of Mexico’s finest died earlier this year. This is an excerpt from his obituary, published shortly after his death.

John F. Schenck, M.D., Ph.D., physicist, research scientist and physician, whose work on high-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revolutionized modern medicine, passed away on Feb. 8, 2026. He was the central figure in the development of the first clinically viable MRI scanner for General Electric, a technology that swiftly became the global standard for MRI. He died at home in Voorheesville, NY, after a long illness.

He was born in 1939 in Decatur, Indiana, to John Schenck and Mildred Schenck. He was raised primarily on the family’s dairy farm in Mexico, New York. The eldest of 12 Schenck children, he was the valedictorian of his class at Mexico Academy and Central School in 1957. He won the “Rensselaer Medal” as the top science student at MACS as well as a National Merit Scholarship. These made it possible for him to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. At RPI he earned his B.S.degree in 1961 and his Ph.D. in solid state physics in 1966.

Dr. Schenck had an unstoppable work ethic and a deep curiosity for science. His depth of knowledge and practical application led him to a remarkable dual career; he earned his Medical Doctor degree from Albany Medical College in 1978, while working at General Electric. He also worked part-time serving as an emergency room physician at Ellis Hospital in the 1980s.

Dr. Schenck began his long and distinguished career at General Electric in 1965. By 1978, he became the first full-time GE researcher dedicated to MRI technologies. His most noted contribution came as the principal leader of the team that built a whole-body scanner. In 1982, his team produced the first prototype and Dr. Schenck volunteered to be the subject of the first high-field magnetic resonance brain scan at the GE Research and Development Campus in Niskayuna. The resulting 1.5T platform, along with his inventions in radiofrequency and gradient coils, established the architectural blueprint for virtually all modern clinical MRI systems.

Beyond his technological advancements, Dr. Schenck was recognized as a leading authority on MRI safety. His published works guided the industry in the responsible management and regulation of MRI scanners, ensuring the technology's safe expansion into healthcare. In his later career, he focused extensively on using MRI to study subtle magnetic properties in brain tissue, providing critical insights into neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

For his contributions to his field, he was recognized with the highest honors in his field, including the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine's (ISMRM) Gold Medal in 2009 and the Coolidge Fellowship, GE Global Research's most prestigious technical award. In 2015, he was admitted to the RPI Hall of Fame. His work was also featured by Ron Howard in the documentary “Breakthrough.”

Dr. Schenck was a valued colleague over his decades at GE, and a contributor to a better quality of life for the millions of patients worldwide who benefit daily from his work.

The Schenck family still resides near Mexico in the Fort Leazier area.

05/15/2026

There are some pretty impressive marble monuments at the Primitive Cemetery that cleaned up really well. Sandy and Sue will be leading a cleaning class on Saturday, July 18 from 10 to noon so people new to stone cleaning can learn how to do it correctly and those with experience can help coach and start work on some other stones. There are dozens and dozens of monuments that need our attention! More details coming soon.

04/25/2026

04/25/2026

More than a half dozen hardy volunteers worked in the rain this morning at Primitive Cemetery. Raking, removing rangy shrubs and general clean up was accomplished on a raw and wet day. Thank you to all!

Did you know that there are at least 7 Revolutionary War Veterans buried at the Primitive Cemetery?

06/23/2025

The Primitive Cemetery Association annual meeting will be held this coming Sunday, June 29, at 1pm at the Starr Clark Tin Shop. We hope to see everyone there!

09/21/2024

If you're visiting the Primitive Cemetery in the next few weeks you'll notice yellow tape on some of the monuments. These are marked in preparation for a crew to come in to estimate the cost of repairing these specific monuments so a grant can be applied for to secure funds for their repair. Please do not remove the tape. It's there for a good reason!
And if you recall the photo of the stone memorializing Ella and Etta Jones, the two little girls who died of scarlet fever in January 1870, that stone has now tipped over and is marked to be repaired.

08/29/2024

08/24/2024

I’ve been working in the Primitive Cemetery to locate all the veterans buried there. Some already had markers and American flags but some had neither. I used the cemetery census and updates as prepared by Bonnie Shumway and her group of dedicated researchers as well as FindaGrave website. So far, I’ve found 41 vets or monuments to their memory: 6 Revolutionary soldiers; 4 from the War of 1812; 22 Civil War vets; 1 World War I; 5 from World War II; 1 Korean War vet; 1 Vietnam vet; and 1 Army MP with no specific war mentioned.

There are two Revolutionary soldiers whose names are on one monument at the front of the cemetery as their exact burial sites are not known.

I discovered that one man who was listed on the Primitive census as serving in the War of 1812 is actually buried with his wife in the Mexico Village Cemetery. I’ve located that grave and it will be marked and flagged.

With the help of Don Babcock and VFW POST 369, all of those 41 are now honored with a service marker and American flag. If more are found, they will be marked as well.

08/01/2024

Welcome to the page for the Mexico NY Primitive Cemetery. Some of the earliest settlers of Mexico are buried here. We’re hoping to shine a little light on Primitive with the continuing good work of the trustees and volunteers.

There are veterans from many wars here, including the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and World War II. It’s still an active cemetery, meaning that there are burial plots available for purchase.

Almost 1000 people are buried here but many graves are now unmarked. Time is not kind to cemetery monuments but there are many handsome stones which we are hoping to restore to some of their original beauty.

This cemetery is not maintained by either the Town or Village of Mexico although some money is allocated by the Town for upkeep. So monetery donations are always welcomed.

We’ll post photos of progress as work proceeds. If you’d like to help, let us know in the comments.

07/28/2024

George Scriba donated land for the settlement’s first public cemetery in 1809. The first burial was in 1809 although the grave was not marked for many years. It is the second largest cemetery in Mexico and many of our earliest settlers are buried here.

The Primitive Cemetery is located on the North side of Tubbs Road approximately one mile from the Village of Mexico.