St. Pat's Parade Grand Marshal Brings Irish Roots to Morris County Event

Morris County’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade has chosen its leader for the 2014 bash, a local Irishman with roots as deep here as they are in Ireland.

The event, scheduled to walk through Morristown on Saturday, March 15 at noon, will be led by F. Jeff Rawding, a longtime resident of Convent Station. Rawding was selected by the parade’s board of trustees.

Rawding’s maternal grandparents are from County Cork, Ireland, and his paternal grandparents were from Donegal. He’s the oldest of five children, and has been involved in organizing the county’s biggest Irish parade since 2005, serving on the Parade and Finance committees as well as a member of the board of trustees, according to paradeday.com.

Rawding is a Delbarton School graduate and currently owns an architectural firm in Morristown. This year’s grand marshal is also a former member of the Morris Plains Rotary, former board member of the Spring Brook Country Club, and a current member of the Morristown Partnership.

This won’t be Rawding’s first trip down the parade route, as he’s marched with Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Morris County in the past.

A ceremony honoring the 2014 Grand Marshal will be held Friday, March 7 at The Madison hotel in Florham Park from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are available to the public here.

For more information on the parade, go here.