As written by Bob Stanton, with Lisa Overholser, Christina Cid, and Theresa Coble
In this installment of the Heritage Leadership series, we will spotlight the Honorable Robert G. Stanton who served as a first-time seasonal park ranger at Grand Teton National Park in 1962. He went on to lead the National Park Service (NPS), serving as the NPS Director from 1997-2001. Since he was the first (and only) African American Director of the NPS, our conversation with him about his life journey is by turns instructive, inspirational, and an invitation to follow in his footsteps.
“Honorable Bob,” as he’s affectionately known to all of us in the heritage leadership Ed.D. program at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, likes to quote influential people like Harriet Tubman, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, Martin Luther King Jr., and others. Perhaps because Bob’s early career was launched when Stewart Lee Udall served as Secretary of the Interior under President John F. Kennedy, Bob frequently quotes President Kennedy.
Under Bob’s influence, it’s fair to say that this quote has become a rallying cry for all of us in the heritage leadership cohort:
I am certain that when the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for our victories or defeats in battle or politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit.
~John F. Kennedy.
It’s an honor to engage Bob Stanton in conversation about his formative influences, his leadership journey, the mentors who encouraged him every step of the way, and the lessons he distilled from his life experiences. He is our hero—a true orator, park ranger, public servant, and friend. We love you, Bob!
Bob’s Formative Early Experiences
Lisa:
Honorable Bob, it’s such a pleasure to speak with you and hear what insights you have for first-time interpreters! You know, I’ve heard you talk about growing up in Mosier Valley, Texas, outside Fort Worth in the 1940s and 1950s. You attended segregated schools. You’ve lived a history that many have only read about. How did those early experiences shape you?
Bob:
Immensely. I lived in a small, close-knit community that was founded shortly after the U. S. Civil War by African Americans who formerly lived on plantations. It’s integrated now, but back then, everything was segregated. I remember, like it was yesterday, being a third grader who attended school in a decrepit building with limited coal heat, outdoor restrooms, and hand-me-down books from the white school.
A group of parents—including my parents—petitioned the all-white school board to provide better conditions under the “separate but equal” doctrine and Texas state laws requiring segregation in public schools. The school board refused. Instead, they offered to bus us, first through eighth graders, to a school in Fort Worth, which would be a thirty-mile round trip each day. The parents deemed this unacceptable. They engaged legal counsel from the NAACP and eventually got a new school built in Mosier Valley. I finished my middle school years there; however, I was still required to be bused to Fort Worth for my junior and senior years.
While the court case was being heard, the parents turned a local church into a makeshift school. The parents—and even us kids sometimes—attended the court proceedings. This gave us a front-row seat to democracy in action. It kindled a desire to pursue my education despite these (and future) challenges. But more than anything, I respected the courage of the parents who were willing to risk all for the educational development of their children.
Lisa:
What incredible role models they must have been for you. Your parents, and other parents in your hometown, banded together to fight against injustice at great risk to themselves, their employment and general welfare of the Mosier Valley community.
Bob:
Witnessing these events instilled a core professional value that found expression during my years of service at the National Park Service (NPS). I always prioritized the enrichment of young peoples’ lives through the natural and cultural resource preservation and educational programs of the NPS. I wanted the NPS to nurture responsible citizens and foster a commitment to the development of civic society. These goals transcend the confines of the national parks themselves.
Lisa:
You blazed a trail from being a small-town kid in Texas to the first African American Director of the NPS. Tell us about that journey.
Bob:
In many ways, it was a long journey and I had mentors all along the way. I went from I.M. Terrell High School in Ft. Worth to Huston-Tillotson College (now university), a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) located in Austin, Texas. It was during college that I first learned of the NPS and career opportunities in conservation.
At the time, there was only one African American park ranger in the NPS. His name was Noble Samuel and he was at Virgin Islands National Park. I went to college during the height of the civil rights movement. Stewart Lee Udall, the Secretary of the Interior at the time, decided the NPS needed a more diverse workforce. He wanted African Americans to work in parks as seasonal rangers. He wanted to send Black students to places where African Americans had never worked before.
And so, recruiters came to Huston-Tillotson and other HBCUs. They said, “We are serious about this. Each student selected for employment …will receive a letter from the Secretary himself [confirming his seasonal ranger appointment].” That’s how I and four others from Huston-Tillotson students were selected to become seasonal park rangers, two at Grand Teton National Park, two at Rocky Mountain National Park, and one at Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1962. I still have Secretary Udall’s letter, dated April 4, 1962. Please remember, this was two years before the enactment of the watershed legislation signed into Public Law by President Lyndon B. Johnson which we know as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Lisa:
It sounds like this was a pivotal moment in your life. What was it like working at Grand Teton National Park, and how did that experience affect you?
Bob:
I had never visited a national park before I worked at Grand Teton. My family had never been to a national park. We had never experienced taking a traditional summer vacation. During the summer you worked in the field. I mean that’s it. Period. So, there was a newness. It was my first trip out of Texas, my first trip on a train, and my first time working within an integrated workforce.
I took the train from Ft. Worth to Rock Springs, Wyoming, and from there I took a bus to Jackson Hole—but I arrived a day early. I assumed there would be Black families that I could stay with, because I didn’t have money for a hotel room. But I was told, “Nope, no Black folks live up here.” A very kind gentleman who owned and operated cabins put me up overnight until I relocated the next day to government housing in the park. One night, I went out with three other seasonal rangers for an evening in Jackson Hole. We were told, “Sorry, we can’t serve you.” We expected that in the South, but not in Wyoming.
I learned later that the Superintendent and other park managers spoke with the business owner after the incident; during future visits, the African American park rangers had no problem getting service. To me, this embodied the professionalism, the concern for others, and the leadership that I experienced at Grand Teton. These are the qualities that make a profound difference. Again, remember this was two years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and discrimination in public accommodations was legal under the doctrine of “separate but equal.”