OLD RANGER’S JOURNAL
FLORIDA PARK SERVICE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Many of our FPS Alumni members are getting older and it takes longer to recuperate from swinging a hammer all day on a service project. So the idea of swinging a fishing pole and spinning a yarn sounded less stressful. Thus the idea of a fishing tournament to raise funds for the James Cook Memorial Relief Fund was born.

Credit needs to be given to the park staff for going beyond the call of duty to support the event. Park Manager Andy Nolan and his staff really" got into” this event. Programs on animal tracks and the cow camp were made available for folks who were not quite as serious about fishing. They made arrangements for accommodations, assisted with logistics and, I believe, everyone on the staff stopped by to ask if there was anything we needed. Many of the Alumni board members commented on their good old fashioned FPS hospitality.

Although the event was billed as a fishing tournament, the fishing was primarily an excuse for a get together. Some folks, however, were serious about fishing. Theresa Carter came bound and determined to win. She took second place in most overall weight and most weight in the bank fishing category. She said she was getting in shape to out fish her father-in-law, Harvey Carter.

Josh Herman and his daughter, Caleigh, racked up the awards. Josh won biggest fish and most weight and Caleigh won biggest fish and most weight in the children category. Of course, Josh is the APM at Lake Kissimmee and probably knows all the secret spots. Maybe next year we will tie one hand behind his back (Just kidding, we were glad they participated).

Other winners were John Roche and his son John IV. Now any of you FPS folks who have been around John are probably aware that fishing and cooking are two of his favorite activities. Years ago during a Promotion Review Board (get an old timer to explain to you) John had a little down time before his interview. So he grabbed his rod and went fishing for a short spell to kill some time. Most folks would spend their time wringing their hands and being nervous. It must have worked for John, he was promoted. Back to the tournament. John caught the second largest fish and his son won the JunkaLunka award with the largest no edible fish, a gar. John also took the award for the tallest fish tale (see story page 3).

As with any FPS gathering the food was great. The Pot Luck dinner on Friday brought out a variety of food with some scrumptious deserts. There was plenty to go around for the fish fry on Saturday. Sandy& George supplied fish from their freezer to supplement the catch of the day. When asked “What kind of fish is this?” the response was fried fish (The pan contained Bass, Bream, Redfish, Grouper, Flounder, Basa, Catfish, Mullet and Speckled Trout). All the food was donated for the weekend so there was no cost to attendees and all the registration fees will support the James Cook Memorial Relief Fund. (cont’d on page 3)

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

Dear Fellow Alumni Members,

I hope this newsletter finds each of you having a good year and doing well. I encourage you to join us at the annual gathering which is rapidly approaching. This years gathering will be a
special one and I know you will enjoy visiting with old friends.

The 2010 gathering will be held at O’Leno State Park April 22 through April 25. The gathering will be in conjunction with one of the Florida Park Service’s 75th Anniversary events.
The weekend will begin with a work day on Thursday April 22^nd; we will be rebuilding the historic Wire Road Bridge on one of the park’s hiking trails. The bridge was originally built by the

CCC. On Friday the 23^rd there will be a ceremony recognizing the 75 years of accomplishments of the Florida Park Service, culminating with the burial of a time capsule. The annual FPSAA Board Meeting will be held at 3:00 PM that day. On Saturday morning will be our annual meeting followed that afternoon by the auction to raise money for the James A. Cook Memorial Fund.

See page 4 for additional details.

Again I encourage you to attend and I look forward to seeing you there.

Florida Park Service 75^th Anniversary

Fishing Tournament (Cont’d)

Saturday evening was capped off with music
by the band without an official name but
sometimes called the FPS band. It is hard to
tell who was having more fun, the musicians
or the folks enjoying their music. But their
music certainly capped off a great weekend.
Thanks go out to the band members; Clif,
Emory & Bryon Maxwell, Lindsay Whelan,
Donald Forgione and Larry Fooks. You
guys rock!

Be sure to mark your 2010 calendars for 
October 2 when we will be doing this again.
This year’s event will be an unofficial part of 
the FPS 75th Anniversary. It will be an opportunity 
for current and retired employees to reflect on the 
great traditions of the FPS and have some fun.

Best Fish Tale
By John Roche 

I was talking with a gentleman that had retired and had
moved to waterfront property so he could fish all day, 
everyday. One evening, his wife asked him to attend a 
Home owners Association meeting and he begrudgingly 
agreed. As the evening progressed she became annoyed 
that whenever she looked over at him, he was on his cell 
phone. Then later in the evening she looked for him and he 
was gone. He had run home to catch a fish. He had set a 
bait out and tied the line to the home phone receiver. When 
he would call home and the phone rang he knew nothing had 
happened, when he called and got a busy signal he knew he 
had a fish on the line and had to go.

                                                                                                                                                                              Page 3

Memories....

The following is a reprint of an article from the March 1994 Old Ranger’s Journal written by Kim Crouch, Assistant Park Manager at Long Key. Like many of today’s park employees Kim grew up living in state parks. Her father, Arnold, worked at several parks and retired as District Manager.

As I sat in my yard at Long Key, I watched a broad winged hawk in the tree above me. My3 year old son stops his play to ask "what's that mommy?", and old memories from my own childhood come flooding back. I was a small child growing up in and around the Florida State Parks too, and asking questions like him right now.

• Why is this place called Gold Head when the water is so clear? Oh! so where is all the gold at now?
  
• Why is that woodpecker called a red bellied when it's his head that's red?
  
• Why can't I keep the snake in my bedroom?
• Mom, why is dad burning the woods down?
  
  I tell my son that it's a hawk and he is hunting for his dinner. Be real still and watch what he does. Then I drift off into my memories once again.
  
• My first fish caught at Gold Head and making my mother cook the whopping two incher.
  
• Helping my father give an interpretive talk on snakes in my class at school.
  
• Having to ride a boat to school.
  
• Making lifetime friends that are so important to me, and my family.

A squeal of amazement from my son snaps me back to reality in time to see the hawk swoop down to catch a small rat snake. As my son looks up at me with wide eyes that are full of wonder, I realize that I'm right where I want to be raising my family in a Florida State Park.

FPSAA Annual Reunion

April 22 - 24, 2010, O'Leno State Park

Page 4

FPSAA Annual Reunion

Registration Form
April 22 - 24, 2010, O'Leno State Park

Thank you for taking a few moments to register so we have a head count for food. Please provide the requested information below and mail the form along with your check, payable 
to FPSAA, no later than April 16^th to:

Tom Linley, FPSAA Treasurer 2015 Chowkeebin Nene Tallahassee, FL 32301

(850) 8787959 EMail: tom@linley.us

After April 16^th, please bring check or cash to the gathering.

You can also register online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JSQTSCQ or by going to www.FPSAA.org and click on the Annual Gathering Page.

                                                                           Name: _____________________________________________________________

We look forward to getting connected and having fun! 

Thank You

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