Randy Wallace
Randy began enjoying the weekends in East Hampton during the early 1980s with Don, his husband. He retired from his Manhattan job in 2001, when he and Don purchased a house here. For the first few years, they worked rigorously on their home, but Randy began to get restless and decided he needed to give back to the community.
On a crisp autumn day thirteen years ago, without an appointment or an agenda, Randy walked into the Osborn-Jackson House for a tour. Being a lover of history, he was duly impressed. He decided he would ask the staff if he could help in some capacity. He was put right to work!
He was a volunteer receptionist and greeted visitors, answered phones, and welcomed everyone who walked through the same doors he did.
He has come back every week to help in the same capacity. “I can’t think of anything else I would rather do,” he said. He says working with the staff and being around the kind, caring members of the East Hampton Historical Society come naturally to him. “Everyone is lovely.”
He is especially appreciative of the knowledge he has acquired while being a volunteer. He loves learning about the continuity of generations that are still active in the community, particularly the Mulford and Gardiner families.
Randy also volunteers with the Animal Rescue Fund (ARF), both as an office volunteer as a member of their Annual Dog Walk Committee. ARF partners with the East Hampton Historical Society for this yearly event.
For fun, Randy likes to read up on current events. He also began walking around his neighborhood every day since quarantine. You may see he and Don when they walk Jack Rabbit, their Catahoula leopard dog pictured here, or one of their additional three dogs. He misses the people, the structure and the activity that being at the historical society brings him weekly, and he is looking forward to when he can safely resume his office volunteerism.