At their meeting on May 28, Winnfield Rotarians were honored to have as their speaker Winnfield native, Audrey Calhoun, the first Black woman in the United States to receive a bachelor’s degree in the field of forestry. Ms. Calhoun graduated from Pine Crest High School in 1968 and attended Grambling State University where she attained a B. S. in biology in three years, so she could graduate at the same time as her older sister, Ethel Howell, one of Winn Parish’s outstanding local educators.
In 1973, Ms. Calhoun landed a summer job with the U. S. Park Service at Yellowstone National Park and fell in love with the park. Upon her return to Louisiana in the fall, with a goal of working for the National Park Service, she enrolled in Louisiana Tech’s forestry program, worked at Yellowstone the following summer, and completed her forestry degree that year. Although she was offered an industry job, Audrey was determined to work for the NPS despite the stiff competition for such jobs.
Calhoun’s first job with the NPS was a temporary job, which enabled her to acquire enough experience to get a permanent position. She then did her training at the NPS school at Grand Canyon National Park. The most memorable skill she acquired at training school was how to make an uncooperative mule move by popping it between the eyes.
After completing ranger training, Audrey became a permanent park ranger. All park rangers are listed in the NPS employee database along with their level of experience and qualifications. When a position within the Park Service opens up, the employees with the qualifications for that position are considered for it. The Park Service moves its people around about every five years so the new folks coming into each park will have new ideas and can make changes to improve each property.
The U. S. has over 400 national parks, national historical parks and national monuments under the management and supervision of the U. S. National Park Service.
Ms. Calhoun was first a park ranger and was assigned to educate park visitors about the parks, their history and wildlife. She worked on Theodore Roosevelt Island located in the Potomac River near Washington, D. C., the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, a 25-mile scenic drive along the Potomac River built as a memorial to George Washington, connecting his home to Washington, D. C., and at Presidential Park, which includes the green space around the White House. She ultimately returned to the George Washington Memorial Parkway as the superintendent, the person responsible for every part of the park and required to develop a 20-year plan for the park.
After 34 years of service, Audrey retired and returned to Winnfield where she is actively involved in caring for family members unable to care for themselves and local civic activities.