Village of Florida historian with local legacy acknowledged
Village of Florida. Gary Randall received a framed Certificate of Appreciation and other acknowledgements of his contributions to Florida Historical Society, as he becomes historian emeritus.
| 17 Aug 2022 | 01:08
Dr. Richard Hull (left) presenting plaques of appreciation to Gary Randall for the years of service that he and his wife, Kathy, have given to the society and the Village of Florida.
A framed Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to Gary Randall at a recent meeting of Florida Historical Society for his thirty years of dedication to the history of Florida, Warwick, and surrounding areas. Dr. Richard Hull also presented Randall with a plaque that signified his Emeritus status.
Randall had “already left a fine legacy within the Town of Warwick” for outstanding work in history and writings, Hull said.
Randall and his wife Kathy moved to the Village of Florida in the 80’s, after an uncle told Gary about his ancestors, who settled in Florida early on, prospered, and left historical records in “Randallville.” Randall took interest in his ancestors and presented research and writing about their impact on Florida history.
“Gary distinguishes himself in many ways.” said Hull.
Randall was the Village historian for many years at a time of restoration work there, and he began to preserve pieces of history from many houses and barns that might otherwise have been discarded. He taught people of all ages about the history he discovered.
He created “Seward Day” every May for William Henry Seward’s birthday because people only knew of a blue sign about his birthplace on Main Street but nothing about the man himself, who was Secretary of State for Abraham Lincoln. Randall invited speakers to talk on numerous topics and made videos of 30 of Dr. Hull’s lectures. The Randalls provided more information through their books. In 1991, Gary, Kathy, John Kimiecik and a small group of others created the Florida Historical Society, which continues to grow.
Hull also presented Randall with an Emeritus plaque which acknowledges the term of historian that he served out. The title of Emeritus historian corresponds to Randall’s 30 years of active service in the history referenced above. Randall’s permanent position will be Founder of TFHS and Past President for 30 years.
Kathy Randall was also recognized by the members of TFHS for her dedication, research, writing, art, furniture refinishing, and work as historian. After spending 45 years in the business, she is an expert in antiques and will continue to share her knowledge with.