J. PAUL LOETHER is retiring as executive director of the R.I. Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission in June. / COURTESY R.I. HISTORICAL PRESERVATION AND HERITAGE COMMISSION
J. Paul Loether, executive director of the R.I. Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, is retiring in June, ending a 43-year career in historic preservation. Loether spent much of his career in Connecticut, including at nonprofit historical preservation organizations, and is the former chief of the National Register, which is a National Parks Service function in…