Randy Turner has left his mark on Morristown’s historical scene

Randy Turner sums up his 35 years with the National Park Service this way: 

“The job is always interesting. It’s not always glamorous.” 

When he retires in January as superintendent of the Morristown National Historical Park, he will leave behind a battalion of admirers who appreciate the unglamorous, behind-the-scenes work they say he has done to promote local history. 

“He has reached out to the Morristown community more than anyone I have known in the park service,” said John Cunningham, a Morristown native who has authored 50 books about New Jersey history. “He tried to reach out to the community and make them part of decision-making, and make them users of the park.” 

Established in 1933 as the nation’s first national historical park, the Morristown National Historical Park now includes the Washington’s Headquarters Museum, the Ford Mansion, the Jockey Hollow fields where Revolutionary troops spent two harsh winters and a lookout post called Fort Nonsense. 

About 300,000 people visit these sites annually. The park has 28 full-time staffers (with 15 seasonal employees in the summer) and a budget of about $2.2 million. 

During his five years in Morristown, Randy oversaw nearly $7 million in renovations to the museum, along with $400,000 in improvements to the mansion. The park celebrated its 75th anniversary on his watch, and the Revolutionary Times Weekend that he helped create in 2009 has become an annual event. 

Morris County Tourism Director Leslie Bensley, who worked closely with Randy on that project, said his vision “ultimately will help ensure Morristown’s place as a tourism destination.” 

“He’s just been fabulous to work with,” added Cate Litvack, executive director of the nonprofit Crossroads of the American Revolution, an organization that promotes New Jersey’s Revolutionary heritage. 

Randy, 55, said he had tried to provide “a nice variety of ways for the public to learn, that connect with their interests.” 

His interest in the park service stems to his Mississippi boyhood, when his family visited national parks for summer vacations. He landed his first job with the park service close to home, at the Natchez Trace Parkway. 

Over the years, he has been posted at Sandy Hook’s Gateway National Recreation Area and at the Delaware Water Gap. In 2007, he did double duty, at Morristown and at the Thomas Edison National Historical Site. 

It’s been a pretty enjoyable run, he said. 

“We spend a lot of time working where others choose to spend their leisure time,” said Randy, who lives in Hackettstown and intends to stay there. “We’re committed to what national parks are all about — making sure people are enjoying and using their parks.” 

He said he was proud to have shifted the focus of the Washington’s Headquarters Museum from a visitors center — Jockey Hollow already has one — to a true museum. 

The Morristown park is fortunate to have some gifted re-enactors on staff, notably, Eric Olsen and Tom Winslow. Going forward, Randy said, he hopes the park service can continue that personal touch while making smart use of technology. Guided tours with iPods should be “in addition to, not instead of” personal tours, he said. 

Retirement stirs mixed feelings, Randy said. He’s visited about half of America’s national parks, and he hopes to see as many more as possible. He shouldn’t lack for accommodations; he estimates he has met thousands of people throughout his career. 

So where does Morristown rank on his list of assignments? 

“I get asked that one a lot,”  Randy said with a laugh. “Morristown ends up at the top of the lists.”