Allen VanBrunt

Allen is a fourth-generation Tallahassee native. He comes by his love of the Gulf Coast, naturally, having spent summers at family homes in St Teresa and Alligator Point, Florida. His family has a long history of “going to the beach” at Saint Teresa going as far back as the 1870s when his relatives sailed on schooners from St Marks to St Teresa where they camped during the summers. They passed the St Marks Lighthouse each time they went “to the beach.”

Allen received two college degrees from Florida State University, a BFA in Studio Art and a MS in Instructional Systems Design.

Allen served in the US Army for 22 years and spent another 18 years in the private sector working as an instructional system designer in the Washington DC Metro Area. He retired in 2014 and returned to Tallahassee.

Allen is the current St Marks Lighthouse Keeper. As the Keeper, he manages the Lighthouse, schedules open house dates, organizes volunteer support, and does light maintenance and repairs. Allen has been supporting the Lighthouse since March 2017 as a Lighthouse interpreter and now as the Lighthouse Keeper. He is revising information content and developing new methods to present content to visitors.