Old Rangers Journal

Come join us as we return to the site of our year 2000 millennium meeting at Ed Ball Wakulla Spring State Park for our 20^th anniversary annual meeting.

The Florida Park Service Alumni Association, also known as the “Old Ranger’s Club” will gather at Wakulla Springs to enjoy the park, enjoy good company, raise some money for the organization during a fun filled auction of handmade and donated items from the membership and generally have a good time.

Reservations for the entire lodge have been blocked for May 2^nd and 3^rd for the FPSAA Annual Meeting. Call the Lodge directly at (850) 926-0700 to reserve your room. Room rates are $75 per night. For more about Wakulla or the Lodge, driving directions, visit their website at: http://www.floridastateparks.org/wakullasprings/default.cfm

The annual meeting is an opportunity for current and retired Florida Park Service employees to meet in a social setting to conduct business meetings of the Board of Directors and general membership. The annual meeting provides an opportunity for current and retired FPS employees to reacquaint and become familiar with the heritage of the Florida Park Service.

The highlight of every annual meeting is our silent and live auction of donated and hand made items. All proceeds of this event benefit the James Cook Memorial Relief fund. It is an opportunity for members to showcase their talents as artisans.

The amateur alumni auctioneers make up for their inexperience with humor and innovative sales techniques to raise as much money as possible from the donated items. The image of former Park Manager Dave Randall modeling a hand made frock and bonnet at the 2000 meeting at Wakulla is forever etched in my mind.

This tentative agenda is subject to change. For planning purposes, please provide Sandy Cook with the above information so that we have an approximate head count for the meeting.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Friends,

Welcome to 2008, the 20^th anniversary of the Florida Park Service Alumni Association. The organization continues to thrive with many new and renewing members (due primarily to the gentle prodding of Judi Maxwell) and great fellowship at our annual meetings and workdays. We are looking forward to several work days this year that will give us an opportunity to grin at each other and get some meaningful work done in the field. You may have heard Florida ’s budget picture is a wee bit gloomy, so anything we can do will be a big help. If you’ve never participated in one of the Association’s work days, you are missing a real treat, and a great opportunity to renew old friends and acquaintances and meet new ones. If you have suggestions for workdays, please give our Events and Education Director, Mr. George Apthorp, or myself a call. We’re always looking for opportunities for the future.

We have been largely fortunate the past year with only a few requests for assistance from the James Cook Humanitarian Relief Fund, and our financial picture is fairly strong since we have been able to build reserves for the fund following the record disbursements of 2004, 2005. While we can be proud the relief fund is there for those in need, let’s pray the need is small, and that our state park family stays healthy and prosperous in the coming year. God bless you all, and I look forward to seeing all who can make it at this year’s Annual General Membership Meeting at Wakulla Springs.

Clif Maxwell, President Florida Park Service Alumni Association

In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. Quickly he was faced with a class action suit for failure to file an environmental impact statement. He was granted a temporary permit for the project, but was stymied with a Cease and Desist order for the earthly part. Appearing at the hearing, God was asked why he began his earthly project in the first place. He replied that he just liked to be creative.

Then God said, “Let there be light.” Officials immediately demanded to know how the light would be made. God explained that the light would come from a huge ball of fire. God was granted provisional permission to make light, assuming that no smoke would result from the ball of fire, that he would obtain a building permit, and to conserve energy, would have the light out half the time. God agreed and said he would call the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Officials replied that they were not interested in semantics.

God said, “Let the earth bring forth green herb and such as may seed.” DEP biologists agreed so long as native seed was used. Then God said, “let waters bring forth creeping creatures having life: and fowl that may fly over the earth.” Officials pointed out this would require approval from the Department of Game coordinated with the Heavenly Wildlife Federation and the Audubongelic Society.

Everything was OK until God said he wanted to complete the project in six days. Officials informed him it would take at least 200 days to review the application and the environmental impact statement. After that there would be a public hearing. Then there would be 10-12 months before…

President Ney Landrum called the Annual Meeting of the FPSAA to order on April 28, 2007 at 9:45 A.M. at Jonathan Dickinson State Park , Hobe Sound , Florida . President Landrum thanked the membership present for attending. Members are the backbone of the organization and without their support it wouldn’t happen. He also noted that the gavel used at the meetings was made by John Sommers who was present at the meeting. Mr. Sommers played a major roll in creating this organization. He also acknowledged Roy Kimbell and the work he has done in the parks and with various CSOs.

Mr. Landrum stated that it has already been 2 years since he was elected President and he was reminded of Andy Rooney who said that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. It has been his pleasure to work with a fine group of people who make him look good. The key to getting the job done is to have good people in committees. There are two major purposes for this organization. The first is the work days and he can’t imagine a better pool of people to accomplish these than the people who have worked there in the past. The second purpose is the James Cook Memorial Relief Fund to provide not only a small amount to needy employees, but to provide moral support and to lift them up in their time of need. There have been plenty of needs and requests, but this has been a quiet year and he hopes that people are aware of the program.

Ney Landrum reported on the progress of writing the State Parks History. An advisory committee consisting of three current Division employees, Al Gregory, George Jones and Dana Bryan, and three past employees, Robert Dye, Dick Domroski and Mark Glisson has been set up. The committee is there to giving a perspective of what happened during the time Mr. Landrum was not heading up the Division. He has a tentative timetable to be able to publish for the 75^th Anniversary.

George Apthorp reported on the status of the FPS archives collection and museum building. He has been asking people to not refer to it as the Alumni collection since this is the Division’s collection. Phil Werndli has replaced Steve Martin in the Bureau of Natural & Cultural Resources and will be heading up cultural resources for the Division. Phil has a background in cultural resources and is very excited about the project. They have the funds to build the archives building and the floor plans have been drawn. The service days we have had on the archives collection have gone a long way to determine what we have in the 115 boxes of files and we will continue to work on the collection. The Scope of Collection has been written but needs to be tweaked before it is submitted for approval. Once approved there will be a means to accept files from FPSAA as well as CSOs and other organizations tied to the park service. Funds have been dedicated for an OPS position for 6 months to work on entering items into catalog system. John Sommers asked if the collection would be influenced by any other State agencies. George answered that the Department of State has an extensive Division collection and we would have to yield to them on any items that they would want. However, they are mostly interested in items pertaining to Florida history and would not be interested in items such as the 1949 brush truck from Three Rivers that is now being restored.

Ney Landrum thanked Jan Fillyaw and the other ladies who worked on the quilt. It was a major fund raiser last year. The raffle drawing held at the state wide CSO meeting raised $3,044.00 for the James Cook Memorial Relief Fund.

Mr. Landrum asked to be able to clarify the by-law changes made last year regarding the moving of $2.00 of dues paid from the FPSAA to the James Cook Fund. He noted that his personality was similar to that of Monk who had to have everything neat and just so, and when he compared the by-laws of both organizations there were discrepancies in that one talked about the moving of the $2.00 in dues funds and the other did not. Therefore, the by-laws were amended to include the dues fund movement in both by-laws.

Eight Alumni members assisted in hosting the S.E. State Parks Programs Seminar held near and in Wakulla Springs in December 2006. Danny Paul and Arnold Kuenzler were the hit of the seminar and all were invited to participate in next year’s seminar to be held in Tennessee .

Fourteen people participated in water lettuce removal at Ichetucknee Springs. Approximately 2 tons of lettuce was removed from the river. That’s a lot of lettuce. A good time was had at two service events held at Appleyard working on the boxes and boxes of FPS archives stored there. There were also a few critters found among the boxes.

Alumni members participated in 5 cast iron cooking demonstrations this year held at Florida Caverns, Torreya, Blue Springs , Faver Dykes and Falling waters. Some events proceeds are shared with CSOs at the events where we present the cast iron cooking demonstration.

Doug Carter reported on the Poker Run Event held at Silver River State Park where motorcycle riders, including Mike Bullock, rode a course to several parks in the area collecting playing cards. The best poker hand at the end of the course won. Several Alumni members were recruited at the last minute before the event to cook hot dogs and hamburgers to sell at the event. Proceeds from the event were donated to the James Cook Fund.

Sandy Cook presented the nominating committee’s slate of candidates for board members of the Florida Park Service Alumni Association and the F.P.S.A.A. James A. Cook Memorial Fund. The slate consisted of Clif Maxwell for President, Larry Perry for Vice President/President Elect, Judi Maxwell for Secretary, Tom Linley for Treasurer, George Apthorp for Director of Events & Education, Doug Carter for Director of Recognition & Awards, Bob Rundle for Director At Large (one year term to fill Tom Linley Vacancy), Dave Randall for Director At Large (one year term to fill George Apthorp Vacancy). No nominations were received from the floor. John Fillyaw moved that the recommended slate of candidates be accepted. Seconded by Dave Randall and unanimously passed by the membership. Dick Domroski performed the induction of the new board.

John Fillyaw asked the assistance of Ney Landrum in presenting awards. Two Presidents Awards were presented this year since one was not given last year. Mr. Landrum stated he appreciated all of the good work done by the board members. There were two members of the board who were close personally and by location whose help had been called on constantly during the prior two years. The Presidents awards were presented to Sandy Cook and George Apthorp.

John Fillyaw again asked Mr. Landrum’s assistance in presenting the Carlos Maxwell award. This is the highest award given by the association and by design is not given every year. Mr. Landrum presented the Carlos Maxwell Award to George Apthorp. Judi Maxwell asked for the floor. She stated that she was honored to have been able to work so many years with George and had over the years come to realize that of all the people in Tallahassee she had worked with over the years, George was the one who kept alive the park service traditions and carried the park service family in his heart. George is well deserving of the Carlos Maxwell Award.

Sandy Cook presented the President’s plaque to Ney Landrum. She stated that the F.P.S.A.A. appreciated all the accomplishments made by Mr. Landrum during the past two years and thought that he under appreciated his contributions made throughout his tenure as Director. Mr. Landrum said that he was glad that we have this organization; he was pleased to be part of it, and looked forward to continued association with the group.

At the close of the business meeting, Mr. Landrum turned the gavel over to new president Clif Maxwell.

Ney C. Landrum is Director Emeritus of Florida State Parks, where he developed one of the largest and most respected park systems in the country. He is the editor of Histories of the Southeastern State Park Systems. Now retired, he lives in Tallahassee , Florida .

At the 2007 annual meeting, George Apthorp reported that there had been some interest lately in again buying FPSAA merchandise. He displayed samples which would have the Logo and FPS Alumni Association on it. George made an initial order for attendees that indicated interest in some of the items. Please contact George and Sandy for additional information.

Eloise Brooks, wife of former Assistant Director, Florida Park Service, Lee “Roy” Brooks , died April 27, 2007. Eloise was 91 and had lived in SW Florida since soon after Roy ’s death in 1979. Eloise served as a Fiscal Clerk in the Florida Park Service from 1950-54. She was interred at Oakland Cemetery in Tallahassee on May 4.

Roy Brooks was born August 20, 1912 in Indianapolis , IN and died February 27, 1979 in Tallahassee . He attended high school at Dunnellon High.

Roy served in the CCC’s from June 1935 to August 1942. While stationed in South Miami he helped develop Matheson Hammock County Park . He transferred to the camp near Sarasota and helped develop Myakka River State Park .

Roy served in the Army Air corps from 1942-1946. He calibrated bomb sights and auto pilots on B-17’s and later served as a Property Clerk at Hendricks Field in Sebring.

Roy joined the Florida Board of Parks and Historic memorials in 1946 as a Park Ranger at Gold Head Branch State Park . After marrying Eloise, he transferred to Fort Clinch State Park where he worked until August 1949. he then transferred to Tallahassee as a Fiscal Clerk. In 1951 Roy was promoted to Assistant Division Director by Walter Coldwell. He served in this capacity until 1971. After a brief period as an Administrative Assistant II, Roy transferred to the Division of Administration as an Internal Auditor where he worked from 1973 until his death in February 1979.Roy loved the state park system and served it with great personal dedication. He was a great judge of character and demonstrated this attribute by hiring the likes of Ann Messer and Carolyn Thompson. Oh yes, and by marrying Eloise.

The only workday to report thus far since last years Annual Meeting was on December 1, 2007 at Appleyard to work on the archives project. Members: Ney Landrum, Larry Perry, Don Page, Phil Werndli, George Apthorp & Sandy Cook. Another workday on the project is proposed for May 1 before the next Annual Meeting. Anyone interested in participating should contact George Apthorp for details.

Danny Paul and Tony Morrell participated in the Southeastern Parks Directors meeting in Tennessee this year.

Workdays are the primary service project for the Florida Park Service Alumni Association. There is a pool of current and retired FPS talent ready and willing to participate (volunteer) in worthwhile park projects. Park managers can view photos and a spreadsheet of past alumni projects at RPCOMMON\NON-PURGED\FPS Alumni Assoc.

The FPSAA relies upon current Park Managers to suggest projects and invite the alumni to schedule a workday. We supply the labor and hundreds of years of talent to complete your funded project. If you have something in mind, contact George Apthorp, Director of Events and Education to schedule a workday sandy-george@earthlink.net. To insure a good turnout, available campsites are a plus.

2008 dues are due. If you did not attend last years annual meeting and you have not written a check to FPSAA lately, you can send in last years dues as well! Please send your dues directly to:

To apply for membership in The Florida Park Service Alumni Association, please complete the following information. Send the completed application along with a check made out to Florida Park Service Alumni Association, Inc., for the $15.00 annual membership dues to:

Judi Maxwell, FPSAA Secretary
558 S.W. Maxwell Court
Fort White , Florida 32038
(386) 497-4750

TELEPHONE: (HOME) ___________________________ (WORK)___________________________ (Email)_______________

( ) Regular Member
Current, retired or past Division of Recreation & Parks employee who has attained permanent status employment. Spouse of current, retired or past Division employee who is or was previously in a permanent status

( ) LIFETIME MEMBER
A regular member who has paid a lump sum equivalent of 20 years of annual dues in advance. Spouses, widows, and widowers of Regular Members are also eligible.

Current or past section or district where employed with the Division of Recreation and Parks: ___________________________________________

00633   P M II                Suwannee River            W M   Higgins, Edwin J.                                                              6/30/2007       318           35
00492   GOC III              Design/Construction    W M   Ross, Jr., James H.                                                            6/30/2007      319           35
20552   P R                    Windley Key                W M   Rieder, John H.                                                                7/31/2007       320             8
00974   T C                    Sebastian Inlet               W F     Hagle, Mary E.                                                                8/31/2007      321           12
01298   PSS                    Long Key                     W M   Creech, Gary L.                                                                9/4/2007        322           35
00712   DIST BC            Adm/District 5             W M   Jones, George L.                                                               10/3/2007      323           34
01244   M M                  Wekiva Basin                W M   Wallace, Billy C.                                                              9/30/2007      324           18
00501   BUREAU           Design/Construction     W M   Bowman, Joseph (Ed) E.                                                  11/6/2007      325           19
01124   M M                  Maclay Gardens              B   M   Gilliam, Sr., Wilburt                                                         10/31/200      326           24
00497   CON PJT ADI Design/Construction     W F     Quick, Dale H.                                                                 12/31/200      327           35
00470   AA II                 Natural/Cultural            W F     Brinkley, Denise(DeeDee)                                               12/31/200      328           30
02237   BCS                    Adm/District 5             W M   Kubeck, Kenneth A.                                                         11/30/200      329           12
00955   CON PJT CII     Design/Construction     W M   Smith, John (Randy) R.                                                    11/9/2007      331             9
01144   M M                  Myakka River                W M   Pusateri, Vincent J.                                                          12/31/200      333           13
00862   P R                    Ravine Gardens              B   M   Hutchinson , Rickey                                                          12/31/07        334           19

Ben Harris – 2/28/08
Patricia Locke – 2/29/08
Robert Quantz – 2/29/08
Paul Riggs – 2/28/08

When: February 23, 2008
Where: Wekiwa Springs State Park Youth Camp
Time: 6:00 p.m. Please R.S.V.P. by February 15, 2008
Limited accommodations available - first come, first serve
Cost per person is $20.00 to include a “Catfish and BBQ Chicken Dinner” and a contribution towards John’s retirement gift

When: May 17, 2008
Where: Gasparilla Island State Park- Amory Memorial Chapel
Time: 3:00pm - ???
Cost per person: $25.00 per person to include a meal and contribution to Reggie’s gift

Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wakulla Springs Lodge & State Park
5:30-6:30 Social
Followed by Stories & Dinner Open Bar & Dancing - Music by the FPS Band
$ 20 per Adult, $8 per Child, RSVP by May 15, 2008
Wakulla Springs State Park , Attn: Linda Lewis,
550 Wakulla Park Drive , Wakulla Springs , FL 32327
(850) 926-0700 Linda.Lewis@dep.state.fl.us
Rooms are available at Wakulla Springs Lodge (850) 926-0700 at a rate of $75.00.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President:                             Past President:                   Director at Large
Clif Maxwell                               Ney Landrum                             Robert Rundle
1019 Pine Tree Drive                  126 Mill Branch Rd                     2100 West French Ave.
Eustis , FL 32726                        Tallahassee FL 32312                 Orange City , FL 32763
(352) 357-8571                           (850) 893-4959                           (386) 956-5401

Vice President/                    Director of Events            Director at Large
President Elect                   & Education                          Dave Randall
Larry Perry                                George Apthorp                         Rt.4 Box 214B
2788 Spring Creek Hwy               460 Wakulla Park Dr .                 Greenville , FL 32331
Crawfordville , FL 32327                Wakulla Springs , FL 32327