So it’s more interest rather than lacking the background?
Yes, I think so. I think it’s the interest, especially in the eastern parks. There’s such a lackadaisical attitude, they don’t know anything about the western parks, the seasonal. They could care less. I talked to a little black gal in uniform right in front of the National Visitor Center in Washington D.C. I kink of knew where the White House was generally, but we’d gotten kind of turned around. I walked up to her, and she’s standing there talking to her friends. I said “Is the White House that way?” “I don’t know.” I said, “Well, where is it?” “I don’t know.” We were only about three blocks from the White House and she turned around and went back to talking to her friends. You go to those little information centers all the way down through the Mall. You have all these people in uniforms and they know nothing about anything. I don’t know what they’re there for. Some kind of work program, I guess. But other areas, like Gettysburg, I still think back 12 years ago to two people that we came in contact with there. When I see Gettysburg, I see these two seasonals, a guy and a gal. We heard one in the morning and one in the afternoon. And when they got done, you could smell the smoke of the battles. Most parks it’s so much stone and just so many names carved on those stones, but it’s the people that bring it alive. That’s why I think the Park Service has got to be really careful of keeping the people out in front who are knowledgeable, who really love their job.
It seems like the seasonal application doesn’t seem to address that. It’s really how well you can fill out of form rather than what you got up here.
And don’t sell yourself short, they always tell you. Give yourself a few fives and then you perjure yourself at the end when you sign you name. I think of all the long-term seasonals that I had, like Tom Young, old Tom Young. We had a young Tom Young and an old Tom Young. But old Tom Young had been there close to approaching 20 seasons and Nancy Jarrell, my brother, myself, and so many of the others that came back year after year. Making sure we didn’t get stale – that was important. If you’re aware of it that’s fine. But able to get into a decent conversation with people and you become almost friends.
