Robert Hatton Ward interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-05-30
Robert (Bob) Hatton Ward had his first experience with the Army Corp of Engineers as a child when his family was displaced from their farm to create Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee. As a youth, he worked at local parks and cemeteries and obtained his first National Park Service (NPS) job at Stones River National Battlefield. In June of 1980, he became a seasonal…
Henry T. Holman and Pamela Susan Holman interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-05-30
Henry Holman began working at Mammoth Cave in 1971 as a law enforcement ranger and later as a manager. He has since retired and is now Chairman of the Board of the Friends of Mammoth Cave Organization. His wife, Pamela Holman, worked at the park before leaving to have children and later become a teacher. After her retirement, she began working as a part-time…
Contributor:
Holman, Pamela Susan - Björkman, Brent - Holman, Henry T. - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2014-01-01
Film, Video
Sharon Ganci interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-03
Sharon Lynn (Madison) Ganci started working at Mammoth Cave while still a student at Western Kentucky University. She recalls the difficulties of being a young woman and working with older men, who enjoyed teasing her and the other females on staff, and she describes the impractical polyester uniform she had to wear. Discussing the different cave tours, she shares stories about particularly difficult tours…
John Bacone interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-03-20
John Bacone is the current director of the Division of Nature Preserves within the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Originally from Chicago, John began work with DNR in 1974 as one of the first full-time interpretive Naturalists in the state, and was based at Turkey Run State Park in Parke County. He discusses his time at Turkey Run and his work developing Indiana's…
Contributor:
Kay, Jon - Bacone, John A. - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2014-01-01
Film, Video
Daniel Bortner interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-03-06
Dan Bortner, Director of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), grew up visiting Indiana's state parks frequently. He discusses the complex nature of running the DNR, and the positive impact his career has had on himself and his family. He explains how the DNR uses "recreation to pay for conservation," and how maintaining a healthy park system requires a delicate balancing of priorities.
Contributor:
Kay, Jon - Occupational Folklife Project - Bortner, Daniel
Date:2014-01-01
Film, Video
Mike List interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-03-06
Mike List, a natural resource manager for the Division of State Parks and Reservoirs, grew up visiting state parks and always assuming he would work outdoors. In this interview, he describes his first job doing planning for Charlestown State Park; the challenges of negotiating projects between parks and the public; and also discusses the impact of new recreational activities on planning parks and new…
Contributor:
Kay, Jon - List, Mike - Occupational Folklife Project
Ginger Murphy interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-03-20
Long-time park employee Ginger Murphy discusses beginning her career as a seasonal employee at Clifty Falls State Park and the path to her current position as the Assistant Director for Stewardship. She talks about changing gender dynamics, and changes in the ways visitors interact with parks and park employees. She details the establishment of friends groups in 17 of 32 Indiana state parks, and…
Contributor:
Kay, Jon - Occupational Folklife Project - Murphy, Ginger
Angie Manuel interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-05-07
After struggling to find a satisfactory career, Angie Manuel found a fit working as an interpreter at Mounds State Park. More recently, she took a position at Prophetstown State Park, a newer property. In this interview, she discusses putting her wide range of skills and interests to use in public programming and learning to negotiate the park's complicated history. She details working with Native…
Contributor:
Manuel, Angie - Kay, Jon - Occupational Folklife Project
Jill Vance interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-04-21
Interpretive naturalist Jill Vance first fell in love with the idea of working in a park during a trip to Mesa Verde as a child. Now working at Monroe Reservoir outside of Bloomington, in this interview she explains the challenges of planning programming for a property geared more towards recreation than education, the negative history of that property's land acquisition, and the mentors and…
Contributor:
Vance, Jill - Kay, Jon - Occupational Folklife Project
Terry Coleman interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-05-01
Now Assistant Director of the Department of Natural Resources, Terry Coleman began working for the DNR the same day he graduated high school. In this interview, he discusses moving up through the ranks, from seasonal work, to a maintenance position, to management positions in the 1980s and 1990s. He also explains changes in the system since a movement towards professionalism, and how he learned…
Contributor:
Coleman, Terry - Kay, Jon - Occupational Folklife Project
Frederick Wooley interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-05-01
After starting his career with Detroit's city parks, Fred Wooley worked as an interpretive naturalist in Pokagon State Park for 35 years before retiring in March of 2015. In this interview, Wooley discusses his mentors and the process of mentoring younger employees, explaining that the educational process "goes both ways." He also describes the changing uses of technology in park programming over the course…
Contributor:
Wooley, Fred - Kay, Jon - Occupational Folklife Project
Irvin Brad McDougal interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-23
Brad McDougal started in 1980 as a seasonal ticket seller and retired in 2013 as Mammoth Cave's Head Ranger. Recalling his early career, he explains how working as a ticket seller introduced him to working with the public; that working as an interpreter looked like fun; and also talks about "throwing torches" and learning to lead his own tours. Discussing the challenges he encountered,…
Robert Cetera interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-23
Robert "Bob" Cetera and his wife, Zona, teachers by trade, recall their time working at Mammoth Cave National Park as seasonal employees. Robert first worked as a photographer and then as a guide with his wife, who acted as an interpreter and also worked with kids. Robert explains the mentorship process and how guides taught themselves and improved their interpretation, moving away from providing…
Contributor:
Björkman, Brent - Cetera, Robert - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2014-01-01
Film, Video
Alice Marie (Reynolds) Lee and Daniel Elmer Lee interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-24
Born two-and-a-half miles from the Mammoth Cave entrance, Daniel Lee's family moved to Cave City when he was ten after their land was enveloped by the National Park designation. He took a job in the park service after leaving the military in 1948 and married his wife, Alice, that same year. He talks about his 31-year career in the National Park Service, moving between…
Contributor:
Lee, Daniel Elmer - Björkman, Brent - Lee, Alice Marie - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2014-01-01
Film, Video
Mary Jo (Kulesza) Veluzat and Phillip L. Veluzat interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-24
Mary Jo Veluzat, former Assistant Chief of Maintenance, and her partner Phillip Veluzat, former Chief Ranger, have deep, lifelong connections to Mammoth Cave National Park. Mary Jo's father was the Superintendent of the Park, and Phillip is a native of Cave City. Reflecting on her experiences growing up as the child of a ranger, Mary Jo discusses family dynamics and her father's career, and…
Contributor:
Björkman, Brent - Veluzat, Mary Jo - Occupational Folklife Project - Veluzat, Phillip L.
Date:2014
Film, Video
Jerry Ronald Bransford interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-30
Jerry Bransford, who is currently a guide at Mammoth Cave National Park, shares stories from multiple generations of his family who have worked in and around the cave. In the 19th century, many cave guides were slaves and their work earned them a uniquely high status in their communities. He explains how these African American guides were forced out during the transition period when…
Contributor:
Bransford, Jerry R. - Björkman, Brent - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2014
Film, Video
Lora Ann Peppers interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-07-02
Lora Peppers became an employee of the National Park Service while still a student at Western Kentucky University. After working her way through the ranks at several national parks, she is now Chief Ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park. She discusses issues she has encountered as a law enforcement officer--including poaching, illegal harvesting of ginseng; rescue efforts; and new challenges, such as managing a…
Coy J. Hanson interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-07-10
Coy Hanson, who is one of the oldest of Mammoth's retired guides, recounts his experiences growing up around Mammoth Cave and his family's involvement in establishing the park. Hanson was first employed as a trailer and handyman at the cave in 1938, before its takeover by the National Park Service. Eventually he became a full-time employee and had a lengthy career in multiple parks,…
Bogumila Dabrowska interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-05-06
Bogumila Dabrowska was trained as an architect in her native Poland. After moving to the U.S. with her husband early in her career, she worked for several architectural firms on the East Coast before joining the DNR's Division of Engineering. In this interview, she discusses several building projects--including the Bethlehem Steel tower project at Indiana Dunes State Park, and the O'Bannon Woods State Park…
Contributor:
Kay, Jon - Dabrowska, Bogumila - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2014-01-01
Film, Video
Carol Groves interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2015-01-21
Now working at Indiana Caverns, a commercial property, Carol Groves began her interpretive career at Patoka Lake. In this interview, she details the many differences between private and public sector work, her process of planning programming and exhibits, and the camaraderie she shared with her co-workers. She also discusses the political system that was in place when she was hired, as well as the…
Contributor:
Groves, Carol - Kay, Jon - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2015
Film, Video
Tom Hohman interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2015-02-03
Tom Hohman worked in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Engineering for his entire career. In this interview, he credits his mentors with teaching him how to do his job, and details the well-publicized stream day-lighting project at Indiana Dunes as well as a few other projects with which he was involved. He also discusses changes in government leadership and their effects…
Contributor:
Kay, Jon - Hohman, Tom - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2015-01-01
Film, Video
Jim Gray interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-02-13
A long-time employee of the Department of Natural Resources, Jim Gray retired as the property manager for Harmonie State Park in February, 2014. In this interview, he describes growing up on Lake Michigan and being hired at Dunes State Park, then taking higher-level positions at Spring Mill-- where he met his wife Lois Mattino Gray--and then his move to Harmonie. He shares stories about…
Contributor:
Kay, Jon - Occupational Folklife Project - Gray, Jim (James)
Date:2014-01-01
Film, Video
Lois Mittino Gray interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-02-13
Lois Mittino Gray had not visited a national park until after college, when she took a position at the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1973. Shortly thereafter, she took a position as a naturalist at Spring Mill State Park. In this interview, she recalls her early days in the park system; discusses gender roles; learning how to interpret; working with mentors; designing a new nature…
Lucille Pitt interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-02-13
In an effort to find a career with which she could support herself, Lucille Pitt accepted a position as a naturalist at Shades State Park relatively late in life. In this interview, she discusses gender dynamics among park staff members, living and working in a camper before Shades had proper facilities, and the effects of increased professionalization of interpretation. She also discusses her personal…
Contributor:
Kay, Jon - Pitt, Lucille - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2014-01-01
Film, Video
Dick Davis interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-04-29
Dick Davis grew up interested in the outdoors, but joined the Navy after high school instead of going to college. After the Vietnam War, Davis, influenced by the era's increased interest in environmentalism, went back to school and received the necessary education to eventually secure a summer interpreter position, and then a full-time naturalist position. In this interview, Dick recalls learning how to interpret…
Contributor:
Davis, Dick - Kay, Jon - Occupational Folklife Project
Film, VideoRobert Hatton Ward interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-05-30 Robert (Bob) Hatton Ward had his first experience with the Army Corp of Engineers as a child when his family was displaced from their farm to create Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee. As a youth, he worked at local parks and cemeteries and obtained his first National Park Service (NPS) job at Stones River National Battlefield. In June of 1980, he became a seasonal…
Film, VideoHenry T. Holman and Pamela Susan Holman interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-05-30 Henry Holman began working at Mammoth Cave in 1971 as a law enforcement ranger and later as a manager. He has since retired and is now Chairman of the Board of the Friends of Mammoth Cave Organization. His wife, Pamela Holman, worked at the park before leaving to have children and later become a teacher. After her retirement, she began working as a part-time…
Film, VideoSharon Ganci interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-03 Sharon Lynn (Madison) Ganci started working at Mammoth Cave while still a student at Western Kentucky University. She recalls the difficulties of being a young woman and working with older men, who enjoyed teasing her and the other females on staff, and she describes the impractical polyester uniform she had to wear. Discussing the different cave tours, she shares stories about particularly difficult tours…
Film, VideoJohn Bacone interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-03-20 John Bacone is the current director of the Division of Nature Preserves within the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Originally from Chicago, John began work with DNR in 1974 as one of the first full-time interpretive Naturalists in the state, and was based at Turkey Run State Park in Parke County. He discusses his time at Turkey Run and his work developing Indiana's…
Film, VideoDaniel Bortner interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-03-06 Dan Bortner, Director of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), grew up visiting Indiana's state parks frequently. He discusses the complex nature of running the DNR, and the positive impact his career has had on himself and his family. He explains how the DNR uses "recreation to pay for conservation," and how maintaining a healthy park system requires a delicate balancing of priorities.
Film, VideoMike List interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-03-06 Mike List, a natural resource manager for the Division of State Parks and Reservoirs, grew up visiting state parks and always assuming he would work outdoors. In this interview, he describes his first job doing planning for Charlestown State Park; the challenges of negotiating projects between parks and the public; and also discusses the impact of new recreational activities on planning parks and new…
Film, VideoGinger Murphy interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-03-20 Long-time park employee Ginger Murphy discusses beginning her career as a seasonal employee at Clifty Falls State Park and the path to her current position as the Assistant Director for Stewardship. She talks about changing gender dynamics, and changes in the ways visitors interact with parks and park employees. She details the establishment of friends groups in 17 of 32 Indiana state parks, and…
Film, VideoAngie Manuel interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-05-07 After struggling to find a satisfactory career, Angie Manuel found a fit working as an interpreter at Mounds State Park. More recently, she took a position at Prophetstown State Park, a newer property. In this interview, she discusses putting her wide range of skills and interests to use in public programming and learning to negotiate the park's complicated history. She details working with Native…
Film, VideoJill Vance interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-04-21 Interpretive naturalist Jill Vance first fell in love with the idea of working in a park during a trip to Mesa Verde as a child. Now working at Monroe Reservoir outside of Bloomington, in this interview she explains the challenges of planning programming for a property geared more towards recreation than education, the negative history of that property's land acquisition, and the mentors and…
Film, VideoTerry Coleman interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-05-01 Now Assistant Director of the Department of Natural Resources, Terry Coleman began working for the DNR the same day he graduated high school. In this interview, he discusses moving up through the ranks, from seasonal work, to a maintenance position, to management positions in the 1980s and 1990s. He also explains changes in the system since a movement towards professionalism, and how he learned…
Film, VideoFrederick Wooley interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-05-01 After starting his career with Detroit's city parks, Fred Wooley worked as an interpretive naturalist in Pokagon State Park for 35 years before retiring in March of 2015. In this interview, Wooley discusses his mentors and the process of mentoring younger employees, explaining that the educational process "goes both ways." He also describes the changing uses of technology in park programming over the course…
Film, VideoIrvin Brad McDougal interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-23 Brad McDougal started in 1980 as a seasonal ticket seller and retired in 2013 as Mammoth Cave's Head Ranger. Recalling his early career, he explains how working as a ticket seller introduced him to working with the public; that working as an interpreter looked like fun; and also talks about "throwing torches" and learning to lead his own tours. Discussing the challenges he encountered,…
Film, VideoRobert Cetera interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-23 Robert "Bob" Cetera and his wife, Zona, teachers by trade, recall their time working at Mammoth Cave National Park as seasonal employees. Robert first worked as a photographer and then as a guide with his wife, who acted as an interpreter and also worked with kids. Robert explains the mentorship process and how guides taught themselves and improved their interpretation, moving away from providing…
Film, VideoAlice Marie (Reynolds) Lee and Daniel Elmer Lee interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-24 Born two-and-a-half miles from the Mammoth Cave entrance, Daniel Lee's family moved to Cave City when he was ten after their land was enveloped by the National Park designation. He took a job in the park service after leaving the military in 1948 and married his wife, Alice, that same year. He talks about his 31-year career in the National Park Service, moving between…
Film, VideoMary Jo (Kulesza) Veluzat and Phillip L. Veluzat interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-24 Mary Jo Veluzat, former Assistant Chief of Maintenance, and her partner Phillip Veluzat, former Chief Ranger, have deep, lifelong connections to Mammoth Cave National Park. Mary Jo's father was the Superintendent of the Park, and Phillip is a native of Cave City. Reflecting on her experiences growing up as the child of a ranger, Mary Jo discusses family dynamics and her father's career, and…
Film, VideoJerry Ronald Bransford interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-06-30 Jerry Bransford, who is currently a guide at Mammoth Cave National Park, shares stories from multiple generations of his family who have worked in and around the cave. In the 19th century, many cave guides were slaves and their work earned them a uniquely high status in their communities. He explains how these African American guides were forced out during the transition period when…
Film, VideoLora Ann Peppers interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-07-02 Lora Peppers became an employee of the National Park Service while still a student at Western Kentucky University. After working her way through the ranks at several national parks, she is now Chief Ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park. She discusses issues she has encountered as a law enforcement officer--including poaching, illegal harvesting of ginseng; rescue efforts; and new challenges, such as managing a…
Film, VideoCoy J. Hanson interview conducted by Brent A. Bjorkman, 2014-07-10 Coy Hanson, who is one of the oldest of Mammoth's retired guides, recounts his experiences growing up around Mammoth Cave and his family's involvement in establishing the park. Hanson was first employed as a trailer and handyman at the cave in 1938, before its takeover by the National Park Service. Eventually he became a full-time employee and had a lengthy career in multiple parks,…
Film, VideoBogumila Dabrowska interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-05-06 Bogumila Dabrowska was trained as an architect in her native Poland. After moving to the U.S. with her husband early in her career, she worked for several architectural firms on the East Coast before joining the DNR's Division of Engineering. In this interview, she discusses several building projects--including the Bethlehem Steel tower project at Indiana Dunes State Park, and the O'Bannon Woods State Park…
Film, VideoCarol Groves interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2015-01-21 Now working at Indiana Caverns, a commercial property, Carol Groves began her interpretive career at Patoka Lake. In this interview, she details the many differences between private and public sector work, her process of planning programming and exhibits, and the camaraderie she shared with her co-workers. She also discusses the political system that was in place when she was hired, as well as the…
Film, VideoTom Hohman interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2015-02-03 Tom Hohman worked in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Engineering for his entire career. In this interview, he credits his mentors with teaching him how to do his job, and details the well-publicized stream day-lighting project at Indiana Dunes as well as a few other projects with which he was involved. He also discusses changes in government leadership and their effects…
Film, VideoJim Gray interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-02-13 A long-time employee of the Department of Natural Resources, Jim Gray retired as the property manager for Harmonie State Park in February, 2014. In this interview, he describes growing up on Lake Michigan and being hired at Dunes State Park, then taking higher-level positions at Spring Mill-- where he met his wife Lois Mattino Gray--and then his move to Harmonie. He shares stories about…
Film, VideoLois Mittino Gray interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-02-13 Lois Mittino Gray had not visited a national park until after college, when she took a position at the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1973. Shortly thereafter, she took a position as a naturalist at Spring Mill State Park. In this interview, she recalls her early days in the park system; discusses gender roles; learning how to interpret; working with mentors; designing a new nature…
Film, VideoLucille Pitt interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-02-13 In an effort to find a career with which she could support herself, Lucille Pitt accepted a position as a naturalist at Shades State Park relatively late in life. In this interview, she discusses gender dynamics among park staff members, living and working in a camper before Shades had proper facilities, and the effects of increased professionalization of interpretation. She also discusses her personal…
Film, VideoDick Davis interview conducted by Jonathan E. Kay, 2014-04-29 Dick Davis grew up interested in the outdoors, but joined the Navy after high school instead of going to college. After the Vietnam War, Davis, influenced by the era's increased interest in environmentalism, went back to school and received the necessary education to eventually secure a summer interpreter position, and then a full-time naturalist position. In this interview, Dick recalls learning how to interpret…