Gary Everhardt
Encyclopedia
Gary E. Everhardt was the ninth Director of the US National Park Service
(NPS). He began his NPS career as an engineer in 1957 and rose to the superintendency of Grand Teton National Park in 1972. Favorable notice there propelled him to the directorship in January 1975. As director he oversaw a great increase in park development and interpretive programming for the Bicentennial of the American Revolution. The return of an NPS careerist to the job was much applauded by park employees and supporters, but Everhardt's leadership fell short of expectations, and the new Carter administration returned him to the field as Blue Ridge Parkway's superintendent in May 1977.
Everhardt took a civil engineering degree at North Carolina State University
, served as an Army officer, and became a NPS engineer. As Director (1975–77), he led the NPS through the implementation of the United States Bicentennial
observance. The NPS conducted activities at 250 sites coast-to-coast. Everhardt pushed wilderness designation and hailed a Presidential proposal for a $1.5 billion Bicentennial Land Heritage Program.
During his Directorship, a policy council was created, which produced management objectives for the Service. Other firsts were the first national symposium on urban recreation; the first national conference on scientific research; the first Native crafts sales program in parks and the first international park publication, PARKS.
The Everhardt years were short, and consumed by the Bicentennal of the United States. During these years, the service was expanding its workforce. The number of individuals interested in positions far exceeded the jobs available. Professional skills were becoming more extensive and the need for specialists was evident. In his book, The National Park Service, Mr. Everhardt laid out the variety of skills needed to successfully operate a national park. No longer was the Park Ranger
to be a multi-talented individual. New positions were being defined covering many of the jobs previously done by the park ranger. The new service would include; fire technicians, search and rescue specialists, law enforcement specialists, museum technicians, exhibit designers, film production people and many other skills once done by the park ranger.
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
(NPS). He began his NPS career as an engineer in 1957 and rose to the superintendency of Grand Teton National Park in 1972. Favorable notice there propelled him to the directorship in January 1975. As director he oversaw a great increase in park development and interpretive programming for the Bicentennial of the American Revolution. The return of an NPS careerist to the job was much applauded by park employees and supporters, but Everhardt's leadership fell short of expectations, and the new Carter administration returned him to the field as Blue Ridge Parkway's superintendent in May 1977.
Everhardt took a civil engineering degree at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
, served as an Army officer, and became a NPS engineer. As Director (1975–77), he led the NPS through the implementation of the United States Bicentennial
United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
observance. The NPS conducted activities at 250 sites coast-to-coast. Everhardt pushed wilderness designation and hailed a Presidential proposal for a $1.5 billion Bicentennial Land Heritage Program.
During his Directorship, a policy council was created, which produced management objectives for the Service. Other firsts were the first national symposium on urban recreation; the first national conference on scientific research; the first Native crafts sales program in parks and the first international park publication, PARKS.
The Everhardt years were short, and consumed by the Bicentennal of the United States. During these years, the service was expanding its workforce. The number of individuals interested in positions far exceeded the jobs available. Professional skills were becoming more extensive and the need for specialists was evident. In his book, The National Park Service, Mr. Everhardt laid out the variety of skills needed to successfully operate a national park. No longer was the Park Ranger
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
to be a multi-talented individual. New positions were being defined covering many of the jobs previously done by the park ranger. The new service would include; fire technicians, search and rescue specialists, law enforcement specialists, museum technicians, exhibit designers, film production people and many other skills once done by the park ranger.
Further reading
- Everhart, William C.; The National Park Service; Praeger Publishers; New York, 1972
- Rettie, Dwight F.; Our National Park System; University of Illinois Press; Urbana, Illinois; 1995
- The National Parks: Shaping The System; National Park Service, Washington D.C. 1991.