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Parks' history buff retires ... sort of
The man who had a big hand in developing most of the county's historic sites has retired after 35 years with the Park Authority.
The thing is, he's not really gone. Not yet.
Michael Rierson, 57, head of the park's Resource Stewardship Branch, retired at the end of July, but park staff and community members will still see him around, helping with projects as a "Special Projects Volunteer."
A countywide hiring freeze prompted by an extremely tight budget means his position would remain vacant for the foreseeable future.
"Underwater diving and photography will have to wait until December," Rierson said.
Does he mind hanging around? Not at all, he said. He lives in Reston with his wife, Ellen, and his son is also in the area. They're not planning to move away anytime soon.
The Fairfax County Park Authority is like an extended family to him and the projects a little like children – each one special in its own individual way.
Take the Sully Historic Site, for instance. It was Rierson's first project after he became head of the park authority's newly formed Division of Historic Preservation in 1977, and "the first is always special." The Chantilly site – a farm formerly owned by Northern Virginia's first representative to Congress, Richard Bland Lee – was renovated into one of the most well-known historic properties in the county.
"She's like my jealous mistress," Rierson said, with affection, of Sully. It still bugs him that "the lady" doesn't talk to him to explain how a mysterious staircase in the house's east wing was situated, he jokes.
Restoring the Wakefield Chapel in Annandale for public use was interesting, he said, because it was somewhat controversial and was the first church project for the parks. And some non-history projects, like building the Twin Lakes Golf Course, were enjoyable because of the park staff with whom he worked, Rierson said.
In a recent park authority newsletter, longtime co-worker Park Authority Deputy Director Cindy Messinger said Rierson's “legacy will be doing the right thing and doing it right.”
He could always oversee the planning of a vision and then see its completion to the end, Messinger told The Times.
Rierson was born in Fairfax County but spent most of his childhood in Europe as the son of a Foreign Service employee. He initially pursued a career as a marine science oceanographer but eventually decided he was more interested in historic architecture. He took courses in historic preservation and project management and began working for the National Park Service.
After hearing that the Fairfax County Park Authority was developing a historic preservation department to better manage the properties and artifacts it was beginning to acquire, he applied to help and landed the job. After five years as the department's deputy, he took over as director.
With his leadership, Fairfax eventually became the first county in the nation to have its history program accredited by the American Association of Museums. When he retired, Rierson was overseeing the park's cultural and natural resources.
For now, Rierson is fine with keeping his hands on park projects like the construction of the Ox Hill Battlefield Park in Fairfax – site of the only Civil War battle that took place in Fairfax County – and completing the restoration of a Sears Catalog house in Centreville.
Since no one is replacing him, Rierson can still use his office, where restored lamps that are going into the Sears house were piled high on a table last week. The lamps don't look as odd as the Sears Catalog toilet he had sitting by his desk for awhile, he chuckled – that piece "was a pretty good conversation starter."
"I don't want to leave now just to see a department I've worked to build fall apart," Rierson said. "I just see myself helping through hard times. I'm available until they don't need me anymore."
“I'm so glad he is hanging on because he is part of the family,” Messinger said.
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