Fred R. Armstrong
7/85 - 11/89--Carlsbad Caverns tenure
(from Enployee Reunion, 1998)
As an 11-year old visiting the
Caverns on a family vacation in 1967, I never dreamed that some day I would be
a park ranger caring for and sharing the beauties of the deep with
visitors. As an interpretive park ranger
one of my favorite challenges was to learn as much about the cave as possible
so that no matter where I was along the trail, I would be able to share some
knowledge about a particular formation, fossil, or fantastic tale about cave
exploration with visitors. This desire
to learn and share soon found me coaching other park rangers while in the role
of assistant crew supervisor for the last 3½ years of my Caverns tenure.
Some of the most memorable
times at the Caverns stemmed from the need to help others. One of my collateral duties was that of park
emergency medical services coordinator.
During this time we upgraded the first aid response and training for
cave rangers and added several EMTs to the ranks. Carryouts of overexerted or injured visitors
unfortunately seemed to be common- place in the summer months and some
incidents still stick out in my mind, like the time when the visitor had a
heart attack in the auditorium and Jeff Denny and I performed CPR for close to
2 hours. Or the man who broke his neck
when he fell into a pit while taking a picture near the Whale’s Tail in the Big
Room. I felt so sorry for him and
visited him in the hospital for a couple of days after the accident because he
was traveling alone and was unable to be moved home until the injuries had
stabilized. Everyone always pitched in
during an emergency or carryout.
There are too many great
memories to recall in this short amount of space; observing and documenting Ron
Kerbo, Jim Goodbar, and Michael Queen on their discovery climb into the Spirit
World area; being one of the first employees to observe the delicate,
undisturbed beauty beyond the culvert tunnel in Lechuguilla Cave to plan for
any potential rescue that may be needed as mappers prepared to go to the bottom
of Boulder Falls and beyond (and a rescue did become a reality in a few years);
getting in voice with fellow rangers to conduct Rock of Ages ceremony
reenactments; or never ceasing to be amazed at an evening sky full of bat
wings.
The allure of new challenges
took me from Carlsbad Caverns to the Chief Ranger position at Knife River
Indian Villages, but the attraction of the Chihuahuan Desert brought me back to
Guadalupe Mountains National Park as the Resource Management Specialist. Today, each drive up Walnut Canyon or walk
through the Caverns reminds me of many special people in our national park
family and makes me realize I’m better for having worked with them. I hope they can say the same. 1.
Guadalupe Mountains NP 11/22/92 to Present
Knife River Indian Villages
NHS 11/19/89 to 11/21/92
Carlsbad Caverns NP 07/21/85 to
11/18/89
Bighorn Canyon NRA 05/15/83 to
07/20/85
General Services
Administration 11/14/82 to
05/14/83
Golden Gate NRA 05/16/82
to 11/13/82
Oregon Caves NM 06/07/81
to 09/26/81
Petrified Forest NP 06/22/80
to 03/05/81
1. I feel that I am "better" having worked with you, Fred, in the years you served as our assistant crew supervisor. Thanks for all your many contributions to CAVE, to me, and for your friendship. Best of everything for you and your family at Zion NP. Bob Hoff, 10/12/11
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