To the reader:
Everyone who worked for or around Bob Benton while he was park superintendent will always remember him. His seven years at the helm (1984-1991) were certainly tumultuous, but also presented opportunities to expand NPS staff and forge new programs. Among the latter was history, a new emphasis which reflected management’s increased concern with historic preservation and the retention of institutional memory at Crater Lake. It is only fitting that the superintendent who supported creation of a historian position in 1987 should become part of the park’s oral history program which began that year.
The following transcription was obtained from four telephone interviews recorded with equipment provided by former computer specialist Dave Somers. It follows from a series of questions which are included as an appendix. Those were formulated in advance so that this extended interview could retain some structure and focus. Notes and correspondence related to the interview are lodged in the park’s history files.
Stephen R. Mark
October 1997
