Did you consider a career in forestry?
Colorado State had a degree program in Forest Recreation. This was developed by Professor J.V.K. Wagar, who oddly enough did not have a Park Service background, but was kind of a Bob Marshall type. He had written many articles in the Journal of Forestry and was a wilderness philosopher, if you will. He had written to the National Park Service inquiring what kind of curriculum best prepared people for a career in the agency. That developed into the forest recreation program and so that is how I wound up going to school there.
How did your first experience in park areas inspire you to pursue a career in the NPS?
Well, as I believe I said before, my inspiration probably came from my time in Germany. Meeting and chatting with forest meisters, and visiting the Alps excited me. That would probably have been my inspiration. Having grown up on a farm, I had not visited a national park. My family had heard about Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Rocky Mountain. We just did not travel that much. My first visit was right after my discharge from the United State Army. I was already enrolled in Colorado State University, and I drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park to look it over.
Did your brother follow the same course?
Well, he was younger, and I probably had a fair bit of influence on him. Homer started out first at Nebraska University, then had a tour in the Army. I probably saturated him with correspondence of how enjoyable my experience in the NPS was, so he was eventually bit by the bug. He transferred to Colorado State and he took the same curriculum, same professor, same program and started out at Rocky Mountain Park, too. We had very similar background.
Did Rocky Mountain lead to Sequoia/ Kings?
I was a seasonal at Rocky Mountain during my three years at Colorado State. My first permanent assignment was at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
