Beaufort National Cemetery without a director
Beaufort National Cemetery is without a local director after its previous leader took a job in New York earlier this year.
Craig Arsell directed operations at the historic burial ground for a year, drawing praise for improving the appearance and morale on the cemetery grounds off Boundary Street. Arsell is now assistant director of Long Island National Cemetery, according to his Facebook posts.
In a post, Arsell said New York is home and a chance to reconnect with old friends and family.
Jim Taft, chief of operations for the National Cemetery Administration’s Southeast District office in Atlanta, is the cemetery’s acting director. Taft said Friday he is in the process of interviewing director candidates and doesn’t have a timeline for a hire.
Taft said Arsell did good work, though their paths crossed only briefly.
Arsell recognized iron in the water was staining headstones at Beaufort National Cemetery and received permission to drill deeper for cleaner water, said Art Foster, chairman of the Veterans Cemetery Committee of Beaufort. He improved landscaping near the cemetery entrance, planted trees to block unsightly views in the back of the cemetery and required a sharply dressed staff, Foster said.
“He really changed a lot around there and got everybody moving,” Foster said. “You put in a good leader and things shape up fast.”
This past August, Arsell said he hoped the cemetery could become a bigger part of the community and noted an outpouring of volunteers for cemetery events last year.
“As they say, the cemetery is for the living,” Arsell said in August. “If I can take a place that is usually somber and has sorrow and make it a place where people feel good about it, that we can work together with the community...we’re going to create history by doing things like that.
I’ve never seen more patriotic people than South Carolina, especially in Beaufort County.”
Two 1/2 years ago we packed up our 1 1/2 year old son and 6 mo old daughter our entire house and took a leap of faith by...
Posted by Craig Arsell on Friday, January 22, 2016
Stephen Fastenau: 843-706-8182, @IPBG_Stephen
May 25, 2015 Behind a brick wall along Boundary Street, America's past lies in tidy rows. They all are united in this place. As Americans. As heroes. Here are some of their stories. | READ
This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Beaufort National Cemetery without a director."