Mr. Manuel “Manny” H. Cortez, Retired Caverns Employee with 26 years of service here, and one of Caverns “Pillars” from the middle 1960s to early 1990s, passes away February 26, 2010

When I refer to Manny Cortez as a pillar of the Caverns, I am referring to him “as one who occupied a central and responsible position.” He came to the caverns on January 30, 1966, and was promoted within 18 months.

I met him in June of 1971 when I received a permanent position appointment here and his professionalism was immediately evident to me. He cared about the park resources and visitors beyond the call of duty. He spoke with kindness and knowledge to the visitors and always did everything possible to make their visits memorable. He wore his uniform with pride, a pride of presenting himself as sharp-looking as possible and as close to the NPS uniform regulations as possible.

Remember this is not hearsay on my part; I was here and witnessed the excellent work he did, his excellent manner with others. It was obvious to me, then a 24-year-old beginning park guide, that he was the total package of what an outstanding park guide should be. That was the reason he commanded respect from the visitors and co-workers alike.

He was promoted to Supervisory Park Guide in November 1971.

In the summer of 1971, kind-hearted follow Park Guide Chris Fernandez consented to marry me later that year in October. Why she consented makes sense if you know the back-story of our relationship: I told her that without her hand in marriage, I would throw the rest of me in the Bottomless Pit.

Chris and I were delighted that Manny and Dolores Cortez, as well as other Caverns co-workers, including: the Claude Fernandez family, Tom Lorig, Bob Devine, Olive “Johnny” Johnson, Sue Cowles, Jan Wobbenhorst, the Bill Jackson family, and Fernandez and Hoff family relatives attended our wedding over 38 years ago.

Mr. Manuel “Manny” H. Cortez was born on October 9, 1930 in the village of Seven Rivers north of Carlsbad. Excelling at academics, Manny graduated 2nd in his class at Artesia High School, then went on to the University of New Mexico where he completed his degree. (Note: I hope to have more specific information next week when I will be reviewing the oral history interview tape that I recorded in January 2003.)

For many years, the high levels of seasonal employees hired each year at the caverns made it a  “back door” entrance to permanent National Park Service jobs. Supervisors like Manny, Olive “Johnny” Johnson, and Claude Fernandez played a large role in the training, mentoring, and supervision of the 25 seasonal employees that were sometimes employed in the summer with a smaller number of park guides during the rest of the year.

While other staff were involved with the seasonal employees (as well as with permanent employees working here) these three supplied a majority of support services for all employees

The day-to-day operations included the monitoring of the education programs and tours by the park guides and the providing of feedback to them.

While this was happening, some of the biggest visitation days in the park’s history were occurring. Sometimes thousands of visitors entered the caverns and park on a holiday weekend.

Meanwhile, services for visitors were being increased: another cave, New Cave (or Slaughter Canyon as it was also named) opened to guided tours. Off-trail tours were established and conducted, as well as programs for formal education and school groups.

A park newspaper was established and issued quarterly. Programs to reduce cave vandalism were implemented. Bat flights were present on spring, summer, and fall evenings. Visitors touched, broke off, and tried to steal cave formations, threw garbage in cave pools, and urinated and worse on the caverns” trails.

Sometimes the unusual came up in the daily operations: guides wrote tickets to enforce resource protection laws; someone became ill or hurt or lost in the caverns or on the surface. Family arguments or domestic abuse occurred. Vehicles were broken into. Guides were needed to fight local fires or sent to other states to do so, sometimes for three to four weeks. Manny faced not only responding to such issues with other employees, but he was also involved in brainstorming better plans to deal with these challenges to park resources and visitors and employees’ well-being while in the park.

In July 1979, four terrorists took over the caverns lunchroom for several hours. Eventually the terrorists were convinced by a newspaper editor and law enforcement officers to surrender peacefully.

Later that month Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus sent a message to caverns Superintendent Donald Dayton that included: “What you and your park people accomplished in that time of crisis and danger is in keeping with the highest standards and precepts of the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the entire Federal Service. I want you all to know that you deserve the highest respect and praise of our citizenry.” Superintendent’s Monthly Log, July 1979

These employees response earned them a Unit Award for Excellence of Service award in January 1980.--Harold West, Bobby Crisman, Manny Cortez, Tom “Boomer” Bemis, Peggy Justice, Diane Esquibel, Celia Valdez, Bob Turner, and Amelia Tully.

In January of 1972, my wife Chris and I left to go to the Grand Canyon for me to attend the Horace Albright Training Academy for a six weeks Introduction to National Park Service Operations course. Unbeknownst to us, ahead of us were assignments in a variety of parks over a 15 year period. I returned to the caverns in 1987 to work as an interpretive supervisor on one of the three interpretive crews supervised by the Chief of the Interpretive Division: Manny Cortez.

When the Park Curator Jeff Denny, seasonal employee Bill Cantine and I conducted an oral history interview of the retiring caverns Management Assistant Bob Crisman in summer/fall of 1996, this is what he told us about Manny: “I thought Manny was an excellent person in that job; he was very supportive of management. Whatever he felt or thought management needed done, he was always accommodating, saying “we'll get it done.

I think that Manny evolved in that job over time since he didn't have any Park Service experience before he came to Carlsbad Caverns. I think his background was military, an U.S. Army technician along with Bob Turner. Considering the training and the background that he had, I think he evolved into a pretty good person for that position. Initially, He didn't have the interpretive strengths that would have been ideal for that position, but sometimes people can grow into those positions and I think Manny did over time.”

In another part of the interview, Crisman said that if Manny had had the liberty to transfer to various parks to pick up various experiences that he would have retired at a higher grade.

Added to all that he accomplished at the caverns was Manny’s contributions as a Spanish-bi-lingual interpreter and facilitator for our Spanish-speaking visitors, who without his services and enthusiasm for helping them, would have received a far less pleasant and profitable visit.

As was mentioned at his Rosary, Manny was a frequent user of the phrase, “got a minute?” Personally, I believe that this was his way of saying I need to talk to you, but I will keep it short because I respect how important time is to all of us. That’s what I like to think.

In his 26 years here at the caverns, his time in the military, his work on the Federal credit union matters, and his kind and voluminous contributions to his church and church school, Manny always showed us that he had time for others, a most admirable trait in a human, wouldn’t you agree?

In closing, I restate my view: Manny was a central positive example person for the caverns and a pillar to the caverns history and tradition, legacy and reputation.

His retirement on April 4, 1992, left an operations and inspiration void that has not ever been replaced, and very likely won’t be.

RIP, Manny, we will miss you and everything that you stood for, in the NPS and out of the NPS.

Crisis at the Caverns

THE TAKEOVER OF CARLSBAD CAVERN--JULY 10, 1979
by Bob Hoff

What you and your park people accomplished in that time of crisis and danger is in keeping with the highest standards and precepts of the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the entire Federal Service. I want you all to know that you deserve the highest respect and praise of our citizenry.
Quote from Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus to Park
Superintendent Donald Dayton

Superintendent’s Monthly Log, July 1979

So wrote Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus to Carlsbad Caverns National Park Superintendent Donald Dayton about Dayton’s park staff in August 1979. What crisis and danger had confronted that park staff less than a month earlier?

The crisis began on Tuesday, July 10, 1979, at 3:20 p.m. when four Odessa, Texas men, two of them hiding firearms, took the elevator down to the underground lunchroom, intent on seizing hostages and making terrorist demands. Elevator operator Celia Valdez and passenger Park Technician Linda Phillips were taken hostage on the elevator ride down, and forced out of the elevator at gunpoint. Valdez escaped at her first opportunity by running into a crowd; for Phillips, being a hostage lasted nearly four hours.

The four terrorists, two Native Americans—Eugene Meroney (31) and William Lovejoy (28), and two Caucasians—Dennis Mark (39) and David Kuczynski (28), cleared the underground lunchroom, demanding that park employees help get the visitors out. During the evacuation of about 200 visitors from, the underground lunchroom, several gunshots rang out. Meroney ordered one of the park employees, Park Technician Jesus Fierro, to help get visitors out of the lunchroom; Meroney left Fierro, but quickly returned, pointed his rifle at Fierro!s feet, cocked the weapon, and pulled the trigger. The rifle failed to fire (“Operator Heard Episode Start,” El Paso Times, July 12 1979).

Holed up in the underground lunchroom, with hostage Park Technician Linda Phillips, their weapons, and a bottle of whiskey, the terrorists made known their demands: to talk to a reporter, to receive a million dollars, and to be flown to Brazil. Whether or not the four terrorists knew about the 100 or so visitors hiding at the Top of the Cross area is unclear, but what is clear is that they allowed some visitors to return to the surface in the elevators. Other visitors and employees walked out through the Natural Entrance.

During the shooting spree by the terrorists, a wooden bench, a wooden door, a wooden handrail, some audiovisual equipment, and a dress jacket were damaged by gunshot pellets. At 4:40 p.m. Carlsbad Current Argus publisher Ned Cantwell arrived and attempted to call the terrorists by telephone; they insisted that he come into the cave and talk to them in person. He went down to the terrorist-controlled underground lunchroom at 5:40 p.m

At 5:25 p.m. FBI Agent Jim Gallagher arrived at park and at 6:35 p.m. El Paso Special Agent Wallace Crossman, specially trained in hostage negotiations, arrived. Crossman assisted Area Manager Jack Linahan and Agent Gallagher in evaluating the gunmen’s demands.6 Crossman ordered an FBI Special Weapons Attack Team, which arrived 8:00 p.m. and put on stand-by.

Negotiations continued between Area Manager Jack Linahan and the hostage-takers via phone. At one point the gunmen offered to release the hostages in return for a bottle of whiskey, but Linahan refused. Linahan did indicate, however, that the US Attorney might be receptive to negotiating their demands.

Eventually, the abductors agreed to release Park Technician Phillips and newspaper publisher Cantwell, if the charges against the four Odessa, Texans would be reduced to misdemeanors. The FBI agreed and Phillips and Cantwell were released at 7:07 p.m.

Having traded their demands for a million dollars and a plane ride to Brazil for reduced criminal charges against them, the four gunmen surrendered at 8:47 p.m. Once arrested, the four terrorists faced bail of $250,000 per terrorist.

Setting the bail was easy compared to what followed. In the days that followed, legal authorities argued two major points:
(1) Who rightfully had legal jurisdiction in this bizarre case—New Mexico or the Federal government?

(2) Was the guaranteeing of a reduced misdemeanor charge inappropriate for an armed terrorist situation involving so many people When the legal arguments were resolved, the four Texans found themselves in Albuquerque rather than Brazil:

The four gunmen who took over the Cavern on July 10 pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges before U.S. Magistrate Robert McCoy in Albuquerque on August 2 ("1979" added by BH) and were sentenced to one year in prison. According to information received, they will have to serve the full sentence and will not be eligible for paroles.
(Superintendent’s Monthly Log, August 1979)

The hostage situation had ended none too soon on July 10, 1979 for maintenance employee Brenda Buris, one of the 100 plus people trapped at the Top of the Cross. Suffering epileptic seizures, Buris, who was without her medication, became unconscious and faced a life-threatening situation. Park Technician Carol Metzger, who managed Buris’ medical emergency and the other visitors during the long hours of the cave-takeover, controlled the situation until help could arrive once the hostages had surrendered.

For Ned Cantwell, his part in resolving the terrorist situation brought him an unexpected admirer. On July 27, 1979, in Washington D.C. at a President Jimmy Carter Conference, Cantwell stood in line to shake hands with the Chief Executive. When Cantwell reached the President, Carter read Cantwell’s name tag, saw that he was from Carlsbad, and asked him “if he had been the one who went into the Caverns and talked to the four gunmen.” Cantwell admitted the distinction and President Carter told the story to the rest of those present, citing Cantwell for “a great act of heroism.(story from Bob Hoff Oral History Interview of Ned Cantwell--May 22. 1997).

Because the park staff responded so well to that time of crisis and danger, they received a Unit Award for Excellence of Service in January 1980. You might recognize the names of some of these people--Harold West, Bobby Crisman, Manny Cortez, Tom “Boomer” Bemis, Peggy Justice, Diane Esquibel, Celia Valdez, Bob Turner, and Amelia Tully.

July 10, 1979, had indeed included a time of crisis and danger at the caverns. Four armed muddled-thinking terrorists had taken over the underground lunchroom in a cave in a major National Park on a summer visitation day. They took hostages and in the process fired an estimated 100-200 round of ammunition in the underground lunchroom. They indirectly kept over a 100 people in the cave against their will for over five hours. Under these trying conditions, the park staff, local and other law enforcement authorities, and a local newspaper publisher provided for the safety and protection of all the visitors and employees.

And in the process, the NPS staff at CAVE helped returned the cave to its’ rightful owners.

Written in December 1992 for Bob Hoff's History Leads and Resources Reprinted in Dale Pate's Canyons and Caves (Issue 34, Fall 2004)

http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/upload/C&C34.pdf

On the 85th Anniversary of the Founding of Carlsbad Cave National Monument, the Newly Rehabilitated Park Visitor Center is Dedicated (10/25/08)

The beautiful blue sky over Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southeastern New Mexico on October 25, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. was just what the National Park Service officials for the dedication of the recently completed rehabilitated CAVE Visitor Cneter had hoped for, if the slightly gusty winds weren't. In several cases the wind forced a couple speakers to keep their notes from fluttering away into the Chihuahuan Desert.

Superintendent John Benjamin opened his remarks by presenting an honor guard from from Fort Bliss, El Paso.

I took their picture after they performed their march because I couldn't figure out how to put my hand over my heart while taking a picture. After the honor guard marched, Superintendent Benjamin introduced each soldier and explained what some of their U.S. Army assignments had been. At least one of the soldiers had served two tours in Iraq.

The keynote speaker in the morning was Ron Kerbo, former park Cave Specialist who came to work at the caverns in 1976. Born in Oklahoma he was raised in nearby Lovington, New Mexico, Ron started caving in the Guadalupe Mountains as a young man, a caver who fell in love with what he saw. His enthusiasm for caves, his cave exploration skills, and his creative and distinctive manner of speaking and writing about caves and their conservation set him apart in the history of caving in this area and all over the world. Personally I hope that he is preparing a book on his experiences--like climbing the ledge over The Bottomless Pit (the Liberty Dome) in 1976; climbing the ledge straight up into the Main Corridor ceiling in the Balloon Ballroom expedition in 1982; duplicating the same feat on a higher ceiling straight up in The Big Room in 1985; and beginning in 1986 aiding as an NPS coordinator the exploration of Lechuguilla Cave (from an initial depth of 90+ feet to 1500+ with the discovery of over 120 (you need this update from Dale Pate) miles of passageway. By the way, some fellow explorers from some of those expeditions such as the current National Cave and Karst Program coordinator for the Bureau of Land Management Mr. Jim Goodbar and long time cave and karst researcher in of the caves of the Guadalupe Mountains Dr J. Michael Queen were in attendance at the dedication ceremonies.

In the afternoon, Mr. Kerbo gave a talk on the wonder of caves in his experiences in a talk entitled A Speleological Notebook. His summary points included statements on how caves excite our imaginations, fuel our adventurous spirits and beckon us toward unknown worlds. The programs that Mr. Kerbo has presented in his caving career in the National Park Service have always been passionate, thought-provoking, and packed with his unique and very personal observations, and his A Speleological Notebook program was no exception

From Carlsbad Caverns National Park in 1991, Mr. Kerbo transferred to Santa Fe New Mexico as the Southwest Regional Cave Program Coordinator and then in 1996 to the Geologic Resources Division in Lakewood, Colorado where he developed and coordinated the National Park Service cave and karst program on the national level. He retired from the NPS in 2007 with 31 years of service.



.
After giving his keynote address, Mr. Kerbo speaks to Mr. Manny Cortez, a retired long-time supervisor for the Interpretation and Visitor Services Division. Mr. Cortez supervised park guides at the caverns for over two decades and always required those park guides to provide high quality visitor services for the hundreds of thousands of visitors coming to the caverns. a legacy that continues to this day.

After Ron Kerbo's presentation, interested visitors were treated to a talk by Dr. Michael Adams, the son of Ansel Adams. While Dr. Adams, a medical doctor who retired from the U.S. Air Force as a general and a former jet pilot, was not a photographer himself, he provided some "up close and personal" memories about his famous Dad's landmark achievements in the field of American Photographic History.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansel_Adams

Lois Manno, Director of the Caverns Art Project, spent three years putting together a long term changing art exhibit, including Ansel Adams and New Mexico artist Will Shuster works. Please read about it at:

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/10/underground-ansel-adams-new-exhibit-carlsbad-caverns-national-park-provide-first-look-famous

This art exhibit in the newly rehabilitated Visitor Center will enhance your visit to the caverns, I did not even attempt to take any photographs. Besides my lack of skill with my FUJI digital camera, I had a sneaking premonition that just as I clicked pix of any of these photo-beauties, undercover (or underground?) law enforcement personnel would arrest me for copyright violations, and posing as a photographer.

Over half a century ago, when the original visitor center was built and dedicated in the 1950s, the prevailing architectual concept and purpose was to have large scenic windows for the visitors to see the nearby park resources. Then here at the caverns, and at other visitor centers throughout the National Park System, staffs and operations grew, and many windows became "blocked" because of other space requirements. Happily, the rehabilitated visitor center turned back the clock on window styles and appearances.

People hanging around for refreshments--

*****Thanks to Ron Kerbo and Marie Marek for help in putting this post together. Thanks to the four people in this post (as well as the others ) who have spent close to or more than two decades working at the caverns. And thanks to Jim White who never lost faith that sharing the caverns with others was a noble and worthwhile goal. And finally, thanks to the people who continue to carry out that same goal today.

Bob Hoff

12/5/08