Dean Richardson was a familiar face on the Parkway

Editor's Note: The following article was submitted by Milly Richardson about her father, Dean.

Dean Richardson took off the uniform of the United States Army and quickly replaced it with the uniform of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Though thrilled with the new duty, the young Richardson could not have known how it would transform his life. Nor could he have foreseen the impact he would have on the Bluff District. As the years rolled by, Ranger Richardson's passion for and belief in the vision which was the Blue Ridge Parkway, made the man the embodiment of the purest form of that vision. "Richardson, who has more than 30 years service on the Blue Ridge Parkway, was recognized for his firm, but fair impartiality, his enthusiasm and the many favorable relationships he has developed with parkway neighbors, visitors and co-workers," reported The Alleghany News in October of 1979.

That is, perhaps, to say the least. Richardson became the heart, soul and face of Bluff District, his piece of the spectacular National Park. As its most ardent advocate and ambassador, Richardson touched the lives of countless NPS people who served stints in his district. He brought the vision and the experience to life for countless visitors, many going away with a love for the Parkway that lasted their lifetime and was passed to their children. Though a dedicated husband, father, cattleman and Baptist deacon, a big part of Richardson's heart belonged to the Parkway. Twenty-five years after hanging up the uniform, Dean's passion and dedication are very much alive, his heart still thrilled by the sweeping vistas, the natural glory that unfolds with each new day.

As a grateful nation prepares to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the beginning of construction on the Blue Ridge Parkway, it is fitting that Richardson's story be retold. He was there in the early days, when parts of the Parkway were still under construction, parts were gravel. He was there when the completed Parkway joined the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, when the Lynn Cove Viaduct was dedicated and when the 50th Anniversary was celebrated at Cumberland Knob in 1985.

Growing up about 20 miles from where ground was broken at Cumberland Knob, Richardson watched with awe as the roadbed snaked through his community. Times were hard, jobs scarce and the news of a government road being built thru the mountains nothing short of a miracle. He went to school with the children of renowned Italian Rock Mason Rizotti. Many of the men in the county worked building the road, which was an amazing feat not only to boys like Richardson, but to all in Alleghany.

As noted, Richardson completed two tours of duty in the U.S. Army, the last during the Korean Conflict. Upon returning home, he applied and was hired by the Park Service as a Seasonal Ranger and Fire Control Warden at Doughton Park. They transferred him to Cone and Price Parks near Blowing Rock as a Park Warden. While patrolling one day, Richardson heard a loud whistle coming from two ladies on horseback stopped on a bridge over the parkway.