Community Corner

Town Hall at Gunston Hall Resolves Little

Controversies of past month given an open forum

If Virginia Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson was looking to gather information about the operations at Gunston Hall during his first visit to the former home of George Mason, he was almost certainly successful. But resolving the tensions that began on January 21st with the Denise McHugh still appear a long way off.

At the center of the dispute is David Reese, Director of Gunston Hall for the past eight years. Since relieving McHugh of her duties Reese has been under fire, simultaneously while at the historic site. Reese’s were unsuccessful, leading to the open forum last night, hosted by Robinson, whose office recommends the position of Director of Gunston Hall to the Governor.

The session began with a statement by Reese. He noted that historic sites throughout Virginia are struggling in the present economic climate, where funding is scarce. He then took aim at the subjects specific to Gunston Hall that have been most often cited as evidence of mismanagement on his part.

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First, Reese said, the education program will continue in the hands of a part-time, 20 hour a week employee.

Second, contrary to what had been reported, students do not make up 50 percent of the visitors to Gunston Hall. Reese said that for the year 2009-2010 there were 25,141 visitors, 9,162 of which, or 36 percent, were students.

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Third, Reese noted that hosting private events and weddings, thought by some to be sources of revenue during tough financial times, actually cost Gunston Hall money due to catering and maintenance costs. He went on to say that while an individual event might make money, on balance, they do not. He did not provide figures to support this claim. Reese completed this point by saying, “Such events are not central to the mission of Gunston Hall.”

Reese next referenced the now-discontinued farming program, pointing out that the shed that housed the animals was dilapidated and that controlling the comings, goings and safety of the animals had become a burden.

Lastly, Reese cited the developments that have taken place at Gunston Hall under his leadership, specifically capital improvements and expansions of George Mason-related inventory, which is valued at between $2-3 million.

Reese concluded by noting that Gunston Hall is in a constant battle to strike a balance between natural and historic preservation and that he aspires to put the site on the level of a Monticello or Mount Vernon. “I’ve never found a site with as much potential as Gunston Hall,” he said.

Following Reese’s remarks the First Regent of the Board of Regents, Wylie Raab, took the dais. Raab reminded those in attendance that the commonwealth controls less than one-third of the budget at Gunston Hall. The rest was contributed privately by her group. Raab also gave Reese her complete support, saying, “(The Regents) make the policy and Mr. Reese is our director.”

Robinson, who met privately with the Board of Advisors prior to the town hall, then took the dais. Before opening the meeting up to questions, Robinson stated that the entire operations of Gunston Hall are under review, with no timetable set for completion.

Although Robinson directed the subsequent question and answer session, the focal point of the exchanges was clearly Reese. Previously, Reese’s temperament and fitness to lead. There were no questions about Reese’s management style last evening, however. Rather, the subject returned time and again to the pursuit of Gunston Hall’s mission as a tool to educate school children and the general public about the life of George Mason and his important place in history.

Initial comments openly questioned the authenticity of Reese’s commitment to this aspect of Gunston Hall’s operations. Others wondered how the program would continue without McHugh or without any Education Coordinator, for that matter.

The Docents, one of the two volunteer groups at Gunston Hall, were split among themselves with regard to operations. Some criticized Reese. One rebuked her peers for hatching “conspiracy theories.” Another admonished them for losing sight of their status within the organization. And still another reminded them that the Docents handled the educational aspect of Gunston Hall for decades, long before the position of Education Coordinator had even been created, and they could do so again.

The question and answer session revealed how much is in dispute at Gunston Hall. What is not in dispute is a fundamental lack of trust that now exists between individuals who care deeply about the site. One speaker referred to this chasm, saying that people who had been colleagues for decades were no longer on speaking terms.

There is a hodgepodge of groups with a vested interest in Gunston Hall. First, there is the Board of Regents, led by Raab. According to commonwealth documents, the function of the board is to “manage, maintain, and operate Gunston Hall, and accept and administer gifts of real and personal property made for the benefit of Gunston Hall.”*

Members of the Board of Regents are culled from The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, an all-female group with 84-members in locations throughout the country. Many from the group were in attendance last evening, coming from as far away as Oregon for the occasion.

Raab said in her statement that the Board of Regents make policy, but a three-person Board of Visitors, which is appointed by the Governor, is according to commonwealth documents, supposed “to visit, examine, and faithfully report to the Governor all the proceedings of the Board of Regents, including their management and supervision of Gunston Hall.”

Then there is the Board of Advisors, which met with Robinson privately before the town hall, and is comprised of volunteers in Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington, DC area.* How all these groups relate to one another in practice is unclear. Furthering the confusion has been a lack of transparency regarding operations at Gunston Hall. It was only recently that the Strategic Planning Report and a Statement of Expenditures were made public on Gunston Hall’s website.

For his part, Robinson would not comment about what changes, if any, were in the works. But he did tell Lorton Patch, “Today was an opportunity for me to listen and learn about Gunston Hall. People who care about Gunston Hall should know that their voices have been heard.”

Later, several of those voices wondered aloud whether they would continue to associate with Gunston Hall, the cracking in those voices reflecting the struggle that exists between their loyalty toward the site and the disappointment with its current state.

*Correction - The first version of this story incorrectly identified a former member of the Board of Regents. Reference to that person has been removed.

*Correction - It was originally reported that the Board of Advisors was comprised of the two volunteer groups at Gunston Hall, The Gunstonians and The Docents. While a Gunstonian or a Docent may be on the Board of Advisors it is not required for a member of the board to be either a Gunstonian or a Docent.


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