The Adventure Begins

 As the school year drew to a close in 1972-73, I received a rude awakening: the teaching position I had taken was only temporary, as I was filling in for a teacher on maternity leave. I had not been informed of this during the interview process, and the prospect of losing my job after just one year weighed heavily on my mind. That's when I heard about a summer job opportunity at an Aluminum manufacturing plant just south of Henderson, Kentucky. The plant was looking for someone with a science background to work in their environmental control section, and I decided to apply.

The job turned out to be an interesting experience for me, as it was my first time working in a large industrial facility. At the end of the summer, I was offered a full-time position at the plant, which I accepted. This marked the end of my brief stint as a teacher, as I bid farewell to the classroom and embarked on a new career in industry.

After several years at the plant, I decided it wasn't the right fit for me, and I resigned to pursue other opportunities. That's when I joined a friend in the Real Estate business, opening the first ERA Realty franchise in Kentucky. While at Anaconda and Real Estate, I continued volunteering with the Henderson Audubon Society and Audubon State Park. Both the Society and the Park were in poor condition and in need of more funding. However, they held a rich history, and I was eager to preserve what had been built in the past and try to build a more prosperous future.

It was during my time at the park that I met King Benson, a former schoolteacher who had volunteered as the summer park naturalist for several years. Despite his difficulty walking, King was a wealth of information about the park's natural history. I eagerly accompanied him on various trails to learn about the local flora and fauna. When King decided to retire, he suggested I take his place, which I gladly accepted. In the spring of 1975, I became the naturalist at John James Audubon State Park.

Meanwhile, I also became involved with the Henderson Audubon Society, which had fewer than 100 members at the time. Despite its small size, the society was filled with dedicated members passionate about preserving the area's natural beauty. Two people who stood out to me are Dr. Richard (Dick) Wham, the society's president, and Julian Duffy, a geologist who taught at Henderson Community College. Together, we worked on many projects and shared many laughs. A most memorable experience with Dick Wham was a 10-day canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. We had a blast planning the trip, and the trip itself turned out to be even more fun than we expected.

Sadly, Julian passed away unexpectedly in his sleep not long after I moved from Henderson to upstate New York in 1982. Despite this loss, I will always cherish the memories of the time I spent with him in the backwaters of Henderson.

In my next post, I will detail some projects I worked on at Audubon State Park and with the Henderson Audubon Society.

Thank you for reading, and cheers to preserving the natural beauty around us!