On Sunday, September 5, 2010, the Virginia Military Institute, which administers New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, recognized James Geary's 16 years of stewardship, from 1966 to 1982.
Also on Sunday, VMI officials ceremoniously introduced the institute's largest freshman class of about 500 cadets to the battlefield that holds an important link to the school's value system.
As director of the park, Geary, of Harrisonburg, supervised the building of the Hall of Valor Civil War Museum and opened the historic Bushong Farm House on the battlefield to the public in 1971.
The plaque on the portrait reads:
James J. Geary
Executive Director of the
Virginia Civil War Centennial Commission,
1958-1966
The Virginia Military Institute gratefully acknowledges
Jim Geary as the principal creator and designer of
New Market Battlefield State Historical Park
during his tenure as the first executive director from 1966-1982
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