Oral history interview questions for Bob Benton
This interview will be organized around four topics: A. 00’s background and life in the NPS before coming to Crater Lake as superintendent; B. Management overview of CRLA, 1984-1991; C. Program specifics, projects, and funding; D. Past events and trends affecting future park management.
A.
1. Where were you born and raised? What is your educational background?
2. What were the circumstances that led to your first seasonal appointment? Why were you drawn to the NPS?
3. Was the number of seasonal positions expanding at the time you worked at Devils Tower and Everglades? Were interpreters expected to be subject-matter specialists?
4. What were the main changes you witnessed in the NPS from 1962 to 1972? Did the implementation of the park technician series and the dissolution of the park naturalist series affect you in any way?
5. Who in WAS0 influenced you the most during your participation in the DMP? What were the things they emphasized to prospective superintendents?
6. What background in wilderness studies did you have prior to being superintendent at Colorado NM? Was wilderness already an interest of yours?
7. Did you receive training in resource management as part of the DMP? How viable was the research biology program of the late 1960s? Were CPSUs seen as an improvement over previous organizational structures for research, or was it a system that took form because NPS scientists were so few in number?
8. Did you participate in the negotiation of any concession contracts before going to Colorado NM? What was the degree of field input/control for the 30 year agreements?
9. How did funding procedures (PCP vs. current system) change for NPS construction projects during the Vietnam War era? Did money for park housing disappear at that time?
10. What were the main differences, as far as park management was concerned, between master plans and GMPs? How did the increasing interest of conservation groups affect the planning process during the 1970s?
