To the reader:
James S. Rouse served as Park Superintendent at Crater Lake from 1978 to 1984. He brought a varied background to this assignment, one that combined operations with planning. This helped to insure successful initiation of what are now on going programs in lake research and historic preservation, but also included a significant expansion of the park in 1980.
The following transcription is derived from an interview that has its origin when I met Mr. Rouse at the Crater Lake Lodge dedication in 1995. Two years passed before I could arrange to meet him at his residence in Mount Vernon , Washington. Lauren Huffman, who worked with Rouse during the 1970s in the Pacific Northwest Regional Office, joined us for a portion of the interview. His questions and comments for Mr. Rouse are in italics, whereas mine are in bold. Some correspondence and additional biographical information can be found in the park’s history files.
Stephen R. Mark
December 1998
Let’s begin with your personal and professional background.
You asked where I was born and raised. I was born in Nelson, Nebraska, on a farm, five miles from town. Following high school I went to Kearney State Teachers College and then served three years in the Army. While in the Army I became really interested in a career such as the one I chose in the National Park Service. This was because of experience I had with the German people, and seeing their appreciation for nature and the out-of-doors. I selected Colorado State University to prepare me for a career in the National Park Service. I have a degree in forest recreation.
Was Colorado State a ranger factory at that time?
Yes, I heard it called that because of the number of graduated employed by the National Park Service and the [U.S] Forest Service. I checked out schools on my own that offered what I wanted. I narrowed it down to Colorado State University, which was then called Colorado A&M, and Michigan State University. In looking at both programs and what they prepared their graduates for, I chose Colorado State because it seemed to be geared more towards wildlife and national park management. Michigan State aimed more toward urban, state, and county parks. I like the wild land concept, so I took Colorado State.
