New executive director settles in at Henricus
By Marcy Horwitz CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Tubach

Having grown up a "military brat" in northern Virginia, Blacksburg and Williamsburg, Paul Tubach Jr. is finally where he wants to be.

"Now I'm right smack dab in the middle," says the new executive director of the Henricus Foundation.

The foundation operates Henricus Historical Park as a joint partnership between Chesterfield and Henrico counties, a partnership Tubach calls "one of the finest examples of regional cooperation around." It's one of only two pre-colonial sites in Virginia. (The other one is Jamestown.)

A lifelong interest in history has guided Tubach throughout his career. A registered landscape architect with a degree from Virginia Tech, he has worked in design/build, program management, master planning and site design. For 10 years, he helped James City County protect its many historical sites. That's not as easy as it sounds.

"A historical property isn't always on the map," he says. Time may have eroded any identifying characteristics such as buildings. A farmer may have plowed a field, obliterating an important bunker. It became Tubach's responsibility to research, locate and protect such assets.

Tubach's tenure at Henricus began in April, just weeks before the arrival of the Godspeed and the "Rock the Boat" celebration in May - a wildly successful event that drew more than 15,000 people to Henricus over a twoday period.

Though the Godspeed's gone, Tubach says, "There hasn't been a dull day yet."

This summer, children experienced Native American life at Camp Pocahontas, Henricus' week-long day camp for children ages 6- 10.

On Sept. 15, visitors can join Sir Thomas Dale's militia and drill with Henricus' early protectors, learning about 17th century tactics, armory and weaponry. Additional programs include storytelling at Mount Malady, the first English hospital in the New World, a look at the role that Virginia Indians played in helping the settlers survive, and a glimpse at the way early settlers prepared for winter. For a full calendar of events, visit www.henricus.org.

Tubach is already looking ahead to the fall, refining school tour programs and realigning them with Standards of Learning tests for Virginia's students. As a result, he's expecting more students to visit next year. Ideally, he'd like to see every Chesterfield student visit Henricus at least once before graduation.

And there's the site itself to consider. Issues that typical visitors never stop to consider - practicalities like staffing, infrastructure, utilities, fire protection - occupy much of his time. Tubach is also overseeing the construction of Henricus' newest addition: an ordinary, a 17th century tavern, which is currently 65 percent complete.

A final question gives Tubach pause. Is it "Hen-RYE-cus" or "Hen-REE-cus?"

"'Hen-RYE-cus' is how it would have been pronounced 400 years ago," he says. "But it's like this. You say 'to-MAY-to.' I say 'to- MAH-to.'"