Cover Page

Preface

Introduction

Ironing Out the Wrinkles

Photofile

Bibliography

Notes

Appendix A

National Park Service Uniforms Ironing Out the Wrinkles 1920-1932	Number 3
Ironing Out the Wrinkles (continued)

Uniform regulation compliance in some parks had become very lax over the years. Employees were smoking when talking to tourists, walking around with their blouses unbuttoned, and wearing nonregulation clothing. Photographs show Lew Davis in Sequoia wearing the sleeve insignia on both sleeves and another Sequoia ranger with service stripes and sleeve insignia on his right sleeve. These peccadillos came to the attention of Director Albright, who sent a memorandum to the park superintendents on June 9, 1932:

"The summer tourist season in the National Parks and National Monuments is about to open. In some parks the summer season is well advanced. I want to take occasion to emphasize again my great interest in having all of our personnel who come in contact with the public dressed in neat, well-fitting uniforms. There is nothing more important in the operations of the National Park Service than to have our contact officers in uniform. Except when heat makes impossible the wearing of the uniform jacket, the complete uniform should be worn. It is desired also that the new tropical worsted cloth, nine ounce weight, be used in making uniforms to be worn in the Southwest as well as in the East.

In view of the many letters and memoranda that have been written throughout the past few years emphasizing our interest in the full enforcement of our uniform regulations, Superintendents and Custodians must not feel disappointed if officers of the Washington staff traveling on inspection are disposed to judge a park or monument and its organization to a certain extent by the uniforms which the employees are wearing and the condition in which they are kept." [33]

Mount Rainier National Park Rangers, early 1930's. Left to Right: (back row) Oscar Sedergren, ?, Preston P. Macy, Frank Greer, Davis (front row) Carl Tice, Charles Brown, Harold Hall, Herm Bamett The appearance of these rangers is what all of the parks were striving for, even though Brown has on non-regulation boots. Their ranger brassards show very clearly. NPSHPC - HFC/91-12

Albright followed this the next month with another memorandum to the superintendents. He had heard that there was a tendency for the men to get out of their uniforms in the evenings, especially around the hotels, lodges, and camps. "There is only one person whom we are willing to allow out of uniform when associating with the public, and that is the Superintendent himself," he wrote. He felt that this gave the superintendent a respite from the public and better enabled him to observe the service being given the public by his organization. He again mentioned the problem of rangers contacting the public with their shirts open, without ties or hats, and smoking while directing traffic and meeting visitors. He thought it "a pity that the Director and his field offices have to keep bringing to the attention of Superintendents the importance of enforcing our vital regulations" and hoped he did not have to send another memo to the superintendents about these matters. All the superintendents responding professed to be following the regulations to the letter but said they would pass on Albright's thoughts.

In 1932 Congress passed an act to prohibit the unauthorized use of official federal insignia. Samples of all the badges and insignia worn by employees of the National Park Service were forwarded to the Department of Justice for its records at the end of July. [34]

Now all the Service needed to do was to finalize the new badge and collar insignia.

Last Modified: Thurs, Dec 14 2000 9:30:00 pm PDT
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