PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Personnel

Administrative changes at the superintendent level at Pipe Spring were mentioned under "Monument Administration." This section summarizes changes in all other staff from 1971 to early 1979, both seasonal and permanent.

Tracy did not have a permanent park historian until Richard K. Wilt was hired in late October 1972. [2187] Wilt remained at Pipe Spring for two years before taking a promotional transfer to Badlands National Park in November 1974. His position was vacant until the hiring of Glenn O. Clark, GS-09, on March 30, 1975. (Clark took a lateral transfer from Lassen National Park.) In late July 1977, Glenn Clark took a promotional transfer to Virgin Islands National Park. Clark's park historian position was abolished that year and a new position of park technician (interpretation) was established at the GS-06/07 level. Fred Banks, Jr., formerly at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park, was hired to fill the position on February 26, 1978.

In 1973 Park Technician Konda Button (clerk/typist), originally hired under Operation Mainstream, was appointed to a career-conditional position at the monument. She later married and resigned her position on May 16, 1974. A permanent park technician position was authorized in 1974, but was occupied by Joe Bolander on a subject-to-furlough basis due to hiring restrictions imposed in early 1974. A new park technician position (clerk/typist) was created in 1976, filled by Paul Happel, GS-04, on August 17, 1976. He transferred to the monument from the Soil Conservation Service in King City, California. Happel stayed only one year, transferring to Point Reyes National Seashore in late September, 1977. On January 15, 1978, Park Aid Nora Heaton (widow of former monument employee Kelly Heaton and mother of Mel Heaton) was hired as a park technician (clerk/typist), GS-03/04. She was upgraded from a GS-03/3 to GS-04/2 on August 29, 1978.

Seasonal park aids hired during the 1970s included Nora Heaton, Yvonne Heaton, Adeline Johnson, Lisa Heaton, Clorene Hoyt, Carla Esplin (all local whites), and Lori Jake (Kaibab Paiute). Two Kaibab Paiute women, Leta Segmiller and Elva Drye, were hired to demonstrate Indian crafts during the summer of 1976. This one-time project was made possible with bicentennial funding. (See "Interpretation" section.)

Laborers hired on a seasonal basis during the 1970s included David Johnson and Alfred Drye (1970); Elwin John (1974-1976); Carlos Bulletts (1977-1978 and possibly 1979). Drye, John, and Bulletts are Kaibab Paiute men. In 1979 the monument hired its first female laborer; her name could not be located.

The monument lost two very valuable "old-timers" from the monument during the 1970s. After working 12 years at Pipe Spring, Joe Bolander resigned on January 31, 1976. His departure was a serious loss to the interpretive program. Particularly during the 1970s, Bolander was the object of much high praise by visitors and Park Service officials alike. Another valued employee, Mel Heaton, resigned after nearly 13 years, on May 12, 1979, to go into business for himself. [2188] His maintenance position was then abolished.

Dale Scheier was hired at the GS-05 level into Joe Bolander's old park technician position on June 6, 1976. Scheier was formerly at Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks in Three Rivers, California. In addition to overseeing monument maintenance, Scheier was an excellent amateur photographer. During his years at Pipe Spring, he created an impressive collection of photographs and slides related to the monument's living history program. On July 16, 1978, Scheier was given a promotion to a GS-06 level.

Permanent monument personnel received training to improve their job skills during the 1970s, some on their own time. Details on specific trainings completed by personnel are reported in the Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1972-1979.