This is an oral history interview with Bob Benton conducted via telephone on March 9, 11, 21, AND 22, 1994.
MARCH 9, 1994
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in South Dakota. My folks lived in Nebraska, but I was actually born in South Dakota. I was raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota, only about 10 miles behind Mount Rushmore.
So you had some experience in Park Service sites?
It was right there. Mount Rushmore was about 10 miles away, and we just accepted it as a fact of life. It was no big deal. Wind Cave National Park was perhaps 25 miles away, and it was a big thing to go down there about once a year for one reason or another and go to the cave or see the prairie dogs. And Jewel Cave National Monument was over in that same neck of the woods, perhaps 40 miles away. As I grew up, Jewel Cave was pretty much in the backwater. It subsequently became a premium area, but it was not very well known when I grew up. We didn’t think much about it.
What is your educational background?
As far as education was concerned, I went through high school and played around at different colleges. I went to Colorado A & M for a while, University of Montana for a while, and actually graduated from a small school in South Dakota, Black Hills State College. I always say that I hung around long enough to graduate.
What was your major?
I graduated in biology. I also had a minor in physical science, chemphysics. I had a major in education, too. I spent about five years in college.
What was the date of your birth?
1935.
