Ray Morgan has seen a lot of Gaspee Day parades – in fact, all of them, going back 60 years.

But Morgan, now 88, won’t be watching this year’s parade, which steps off from the intersection of Spring Green and Narragansett Parkway this Saturday at 10 a.m. That’s because he’ll be in the parade, right out front.

Morgan has Mark Russell to thank for the distinction of carrying the mace. Russell has filled just about every post on the Gaspee Days Committee, and he’s carried the mace. It occurred to him that the extended Morgan family sprinkled along the route have been faithful spectator s, staking out turf on the parkway and frequently displaying a sign, “shoot here.”

Morgan confesses he loves the Colonial militia units, although he’s been known to dance with the Mummers, who usually bring up the rear of the parade and get pictures with the pirates. Russell was delighted to recruit Morgan.

“He’s as sharp as a tack,” said Russell. Initially, Russell planned on have Morgan sit in a convertible holding the mace. To Russell’s surprise, Morgan said he thought he could walk the route.

Morgan had no idea to the size of the mace and when he was shown it, he was convinced this wouldn’t be tough, yet it would be reassuring that there would be a convertible not far behind. About the length of a baseball bat, the mace supposedly contains wood from the Gaspee. It’s a ceremonial fixture usually carried by someone announcing guests arriving at an event, or in this case leading a parade.

Morgan was introduced to the first parade by an aunt who had invited her friends from the garden club to see what it was all about. Morgan was called to assist setting up chairs and passing out drinks. He was hooked.

Once Morgan finds something he likes, he sticks with it. The parade is on his list, as is Warwick, where the Morgan clan lives. He ran through a list of family who handed down houses from generation to generation. He pointed out that the youngest of Morgan spectators will be his great grandsons which make them the fourth generation of Morgan Gaspee Day parade fans.

It’s no wonder Russell thought of Morgan not only to carry the mace but to represent what the parade has come to mean for the community.

Speaking of enduring activities, Morgan retired from the phone company (New England Telephone) after putting in 46 years. He started off as a janitor in 1955 and soon got what he wanted – working outdoors. He did that for 15 years and then looked for a change, moving to a desk job. Later he longed to get back outside and was transferred. He has stories, but few more dramatic than his experience during the Blizzard of 1978. He and a co-worker were caught in Wakefield when the snow started piling up. They were trapped. A Holiday Inn became their home away from home. It was two weeks before they could move around. A company vehicle gave them access, and they got to see up close as the National Guard worked to clear highways of buried vehicles. Finally, he got home to find the driveway was shoveled but the pathway cleared was so narrow that he was forced to climb out the window.

Morgan offers advice to those who have retired or are thinking of retiring: stay active.

He has worked with youth hockey leagues for 50 years and presently is a board member and tournament director at the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame. He also works regularly with the St. Anthony Church food pantry. He said it seems he’s more active now that when he was working.

He laughs. “They call me a legend,” he says of his family.

He’ll be upholding that moniker as the bearer of the mace in this year’s Gaspee Day parade.