Was Fairbanks a seasonal employee while you were there?
Yes, he was a seasonal naturalist. Later on he became the regular [Chief] Park Naturalist (6). He had an interesting reason for reigning for resigning that job. He was married to a person who was very religious and she resented being in the park during the winter, because other member of the park staff drank. She did not approve of drinking at all. Warren was married to a widow who had children of her own, stepchildren of Warren’s. Warren resigned and he got a job at an eastern college.
I don’t know the circumstances of Harry Parker following Doc Ruhle.
Well, Doc Ruhle transferred to Hawaii Volcanoes [National Park]. It was something that happened during the winter of 1951-52. Doc had intended to kept right on there in the park. He had all sorts of plans. Apparently he had a unexpected opportunity for a transfer so he grabbed it and went over there. He had a different sort of experience in that wonderful place than he did at Crater Lake. Doc was a good friend of mine, but I never did hear from him again. That was a case of losing a friend, so to speak.
Was Harry Parker at Crater Lake in 1951?
He transferred from Yosemite when Doc Ruhle was moved to the Hawaiian Islands. Frankly, Harry Parker was a very strange individual and somebody that I really just don’t understand at all. He came in with a chip on his shoulder. Nothing you did he liked. As a matter of fact, he told me not to come back to Crater Lake anymore. Why, I don’t know. I certainly treated him nicely.
Was that also the case with other seasonal naturalists?
They all went to jobs in various colleges and universities. There might have been various reasons why they didn’t return.
