Holland, F. Ross, Jr. 1927–2005

(Francis Ross Holland, Jr.)

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born August 24, 1927, in Savannah, GA; died of Alzheimer's disease, September 16, 2005, in Mason, NH. Historian and author. Holland was famous as an authority on American lighthouses. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he earned a B.C.S. from the University of Georgia in 1950. During the Korean conflict Holland was once again called to active duty while he was studying at what is now the University of Texas at Austin. After returning home in 1953, he completed his master's degree in 1958. Holland then began a long career with the National Park Service. Initially, he was a ranger at Tennessee's Shiloh National Military Park, but he was soon hired as an historian. He worked in this capacity for parks around the country, including in New Jersey, southern California, and Maryland. During his years with the park service from 1958 to 1983, he began writing books about America's lighthouses. Among these are American Lighthouses: Their Illustrated History since 1716 (1972), The Old Point Loma Lighthouse (1978), and Guide to Great American Lighthouses (1989). His interest in these structures led him to campaign for their preservation as important historical buildings, and he testified before a congressional subcommittee in 1986 that lighthouses should be restored even though most of them are no longer used for their original purpose. After his initial retirement in 1983, Holland went back to work as an active member of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, whose mission was to restore these important landmarks. After retiring for good in 1986, he went on to publish Idealists, Scoundrels, and the Lady: An Insider's View of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Project (1993). For his many contributions to historical preservation projects, Holland was presented with the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1983; he also earned the department's Meritorious Service Award.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Washington Post, September 24, 2005, p. B7.

ONLINE

History News Network, http://hn.us/ (September 30, 2005).