Richard T. (Rick) Gale: some of my memories of a Park Ranger’s Ranger

He was born into a National Park Service family (Carlsbad, NM – 1937), and he loved playing basketball (in his youth) and rooting on his OU Sooners. He was a voracious reader, and loved history, which helped form his world view.

Thinking about Rick, there are actually so many significant benchmark accomplishments. Here are a few that come to mind (you probably can add some others):

·       First recipient of the Harry Yount Award for Lifetime Achievement (presented by President Bill Clinton in 1994)

·       NPS Chief of Fire Operations        Area Commander Yellowstone fires 1988

·       Deputy Chief Ranger NPS                                

·       Incident Commander (IC), 50^th Anniversary – Pearl Harbor

·       IC, NPS- Hurricane Andrew

·       S-520/620 Advanced Incident Management/Area Command Executive Committee

·       North Rim Unit Manager (Grand Canyon), and host of legendary parties

·       President, Association of National Park Rangers, 1988-1994

·       Mentor to a multitude of Park Rangers (throughout his career, and on)

·       Father to three incredible daughters (Sarah, Beth & Cindy))

http://npshistory.com/newsletters/ranger/ranger-v25n3.pdf  (see pages 6 – 12)

I joined a group of Rick’s colleagues on the evening of Oct. 29^th (2016). It was the last full day of Ranger Rendezvous (RR), and for some of us the meeting spot was familiar: the La Fonda in downtown Santa Fe hosted a previous RR, the last place I saw Rick before his passing.  I couldn’t do justice to try to remember everyone that was there, but it was a noteworthy group (that I was humbled to be a part of).

I first remember seeing Rick at RR #6, Fontana Village/Great Smoky Mountains (1982- BTW- much belated thanks to Ginny Rousseau and Dennis Burnett for their efforts): http://npshistory.com/newsletters/ranger/newsletter-v4n2.pdf

Rick was hawking rolls of ranger raffle tickets, and I recall thinking: “I’d like to work with him someday…”

A few years later, I was privileged to have worked for Rick at Santa Monica Mountains (SAMO). He was my Chief Ranger, and the years working with him changed my life. He had the uncanny ability to speak “truth-to-power.” Many didn’t want to hear his testimony because it didn’t fit their view of NPS-gospel. Believe it, or not, sometimes NPS managers can go into “denial.” After all, we’re the “good guys” and doing what we do for the good of humankind (and yadda, Yadda, YADDA…). I remember Rick once saying to me: “I know sometimes we (NPS) we shoot ourselves in the foot, but we don’t need to use a canon.”

Rick & were both baseball fans: he rooted for the Boston Red Sox, while I cheered on my Los Dodgers. I remember once while we had an on-going fire at the park he granted me leave the following day to attend a playoff game I had tickets to. Unfortunately, for the boys-in-blue Jack Clark (of the Cardinals) ended their season that day.

As I prepared to meet others at La Fonda that evening I quickly wrote some Rick-isms onto 3x5 cards (his preferred form of notes). I started with one he had posted on his office wall (and I subsequently did the same, as did Meme, for years):

“What is the LEGAL AUTHORITY for my proposed action?”

On the subject of the budget to the management team: “If you’re going to cut the Ranger’s vehicle & mileage budget, we’d better order many decks of playing cards… they’ll be playing lots of pinochle.”

As a motivational speaker, he was sometimes direct: “… if these duties don’t suit you, you might want to think about selling shoes” (it seems to have worked… at least for me). Regarding a semi-recent management decision he once quipped: “They certainly won’t be in competition for the Mather Award.” (Presented to someone that puts their career on-the-line in furthering conservation of National Parks).

Rick was an active supporter of a diverse workforce, and when the Forest Service was under Consent Decree in Region 5 (Calif.) he said: “We need to do whatever it takes, and whatever we need to do, to avoid” being under court order & scrutiny.

When Kevin Gilmartin, a renowned public safety psychologist, asked us at a law enforcement refresher class what we do to relieve stress, Rick looked at him and said: “I fight fire.” Dr. Gilmartin did not accept that as an adequate stress relief mechanism. Rick then mentioned that he enjoys a nice bike ride along the beach boardwalk in Ventura County. This was much better to our instructor.

There were some personal accolades he laid on me: at SAMO I was a District Ranger and held portfolios for law enforcement specialist & fire management officer (FMO) as collateral duties, when he asked if I was interested in filling the new position of FMO, which would’ve been a promotion for me at the time. In an annual evaluation session he told me: “No matter what else you achieve in your career, you can be proud of your efforts with L.A. County Fire (Dept.).” In about 1990 he tasked me to join with Chris Andress and John Lissoway in the review of fire shelter deployments (many fire orders and “watch-out situations” disregarded).

 

Rick's son-in-law Cliff Spencer
(Superintendent at Mesa Verde NP)

Also the time he was reading the FBI Bulletin (seems he was always scanning something) and noted the fugitive of the month (sought for 20-years). Across the hallway, from my office, I heard him call the FBI and tell them: this might be nothing, but he certainly resembles so-n-so. It turns out it was the person he thought, who had been living under a false identity.

Then there was the time Meme & SAMO personnel participated in a fire departments relay, and I ran the anchor-leg. Rick got on his bike and was encouraging me, and my elephant-shuffle pace, along the route. I finished “well out of the money” (to put it kindly… well, “last” to be accurate). I sometimes take things too literally, and in this case “anchor-leg” was one of those times. But, I finished and Rick (as always) was there encouraging my as I plodded along.

That is how I’ll always remember Rick: encouraging you along, helping you to be a little bit better one step at a time. THANKS Rick, I’ll always be indebted to you.

So, how about you (that knew him): what are some of your favorite recollections?

http://protectnps.org/news/nps-centennial-biographies/richard-rick-gale/

Note: I intended to post this shortly after our Oct. 29^th get together, but was distracted by a fire assignment (Safety Officer) on the Daniel Boone NF in southeastern Kentucky shortly thereafter. I prefer to think that Rick would’ve been proud of that, for without him I’d have never been “Safety Dude.”