By Tim Kelly
The Ocean City Historical Museum is searching for a new executive director following the sudden and apparently unexpected resignation of Jeff McGranahan.
McGranahan, who led the museum for nearly seven years, submitted a letter of resignation sometime just before Christmas.
John Loeper, chairman of the museum’s board of directors, confirmed McGranahan’s departure when reached by phone.
“He resigned,” Loeper said.
When asked to elaborate on the circumstances, Loeper said, “What I can tell you is we’ve launched our search process to find a successor. We’re moving on and moving in a positive direction.”
McGranahan could not be reached for comment.
In his role as executive director, McGranahan managed the staff, volunteers and day-to-day operations of the museum, located inside the Ocean City Community Center at 1735 Simpson Ave.
He was also the main public face of the museum and a go-to media source for his extensive knowledge, insights and opinions about the city’s history. He oversaw many of the exhibits, special events, fundraising activities and membership drives, among other duties.
In addition to his larger responsibilities, it was not unusual to see McGranahan ringing up customers’ purchases at the museum gift shop or spraying window cleaner on a display case.
In December, McGranahan was a main source for an OCNJDaily.com story marking the 117th anniversary of the city’s most famous shipwreck, the Sindia. He also spoke to OCNJDaily.com recently about “Mrs. Claus’ Market,” a fundraising effort involving the sale of holiday-themed and museum-related items.
McGranahan, who resides in Hammonton, would routinely drop what he was doing to help a reporter obtain information, photos, documents or whatever else might be needed to meet a story deadline.
Another high-profile project that McGranahan helped to direct was the Grace Kelly High Tea, a fundraiser celebrating the former Ocean City summer resident, Oscar-winning actress and princess of Monaco.
He was also involved in an exhibit detailing the history of surfing and development of Ocean City’s surfing culture and community.
