REEDVILLE — Larry Foulk, the new executive director of the Greater Reedville Association, has an impressive list of degrees and academic accomplishments.

But his immediate and heartfelt connection to the culture and traditions of the small fishing village may provide extra insight into why the fit feels natural.

Foulk, who will oversee the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum and its event center, Festival Halle, grew up in a small southern Louisiana town called Port Sulphur in Plaquemines Parish. The parish (like a Virginia county) is the southernmost in Louisiana, where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico.

His grandfather, whom he called Captain, and his uncle/godfather, were commercial fishermen.

Driving along Reedville’s Main Street to the end (or beginning) of Va. Route 360 at Cockrell Creek reminds him of the one main artery through Port Sulphur, La. Route 23. Port Sulphur’s population in 2020: 1,677. Reedville’s: 2,063.

One facet of his new position includes day-to-day responsibilities: being a good steward of resources that include finances, facilities, employees, volunteers and board members.

“It seems like a healthy association and museum with great people supporting the effort,” said Foulk (pronounced ‘folk’).

“Feeling this connection with the community, I might be someone who can articulate the value of our mission here,” said Foulk. He defines that as encouraging “a great respect and understanding of the history and traditions that reflect the watermen’s life and work … and how that work informed the quality of life for everyone who called this neck of the woods home.”

As a historian, he describes the rhythm of life here in almost poetic terms: “The way we speak, the food we enjoy eating — which we have from the bounty of the bay or harvest from the land.”

And Reedville’s old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration? “We invite the world here!” And they come. He met people from all over at Chitterchats ice cream shop on Main Street on a recent night.

His appointment was not his first visit to Reedville by any means.

He and his wife Susan, both educators, lived and worked on the Rappahannock River in Tappahannock for a total of 10 years.

They enjoy exploring wherever they work, so they visited Reedville and the museum several times with their family. Several years ago, his wife gave him a Father’s Day gift certificate for Family Boat Build at the museum so he and their son, Ephraim, could build a skiff together. “It’s one of my fondest memories ever,” he said. “I had no idea then I would be back here.”

Foulk has a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction/ history education from the University of Tennessee. He has completed graduate coursework in American history through Gettysburg College.

He also is a published historian, has been a docent/tour guide and researcher-writer, and has received appointments to study the U.S. Civil War, the U.S. Constitution and origins of the women’s movement.

He has been a teacher/administrator at schools in North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, Maryland and Virginia.

“After an extensive search, the Greater Reedville Association board is delighted to welcome Larry Foulk as the new executive director,” said LeeAnn Scanlon, board president.

“Larry’s remarkable background in administration, historical preservation and strategic vision makes him the perfect leader to guide us forward. We are confident that his creativity and deep commitment to community engagement will grow our museum’s local impact and deepen our connection with the Reedville community.

“Larry will work with the board of directors and committee chairs to continue current traditions and to develop a new five-year strategic plan in 2027.”

Both Larry and Susan Foulk spent the past three years at Oldfields School in Sparks Glencoe, Md. She is going to stay on at the school for a while as Ephraim starts his freshman year of high school. Their oldest child, Hadley, graduated from Washington & Lee University and works for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Middle child Ava will be a senior at University of Virginia in the fall.