Monday, March 4, 2024

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!

Friday, March 1, 2024

The Foundation Upon Which I Worked

Instead of launching right into “I did this, and I did that,” I thought it important to start by posting about who else “did this and that” and built the foundation upon which I worked. Secondly, I want readers to know that although this blog is called My Audubon Adventures, it was not the “Audubon Society” that built the foundation. For that matter, it was not even John James Audubon. “Audubon” is a conservation movement and the foundation upon which I stood was built by many individuals across the country who cared about birds, nature, and the conservation of natural resources. I felt then and now that my job is to motivate people to become more closely connected with nature and sustainable natural resource management.

Through this blog, I intend to tell the story of how and why I chose to do what I did over a 50+ year career and talk about successes and failures along the way.

Henderson, Kentucky, was and is full of businesses and organizations that include the word “Audubon” in their titles and branding. So, it seemed to me that Henderson must be a bird-friendly town as often as the name Audubon is used. And I thought if the town is bird-friendly, it must be a conservation-minded community.


Instead of focusing on John James Audubon and his family as my main research project, I should focus on the history of the Henderson Audubon Society and the history of John James Audubon State Park, particularly since I had been elected to serve as Vice President of the Society and was spending a lot of time at the park.

I saw myself as a teacher who focused on nature and environmental education. But, now that I was no longer a classroom teacher, I needed to define what I would teach and to whom I would teach it. So, my first step was to discover how the Henderson Audubon Society came into existence and the organization’s main mission. Since Audubon State Park seemed to be the “main Audubon place,” I also needed to look into the park’s history.

I discovered that, to a great degree, the Henderson Audubon Society and Audubon State Park had much in common. That was not necessarily John James Audubon, but one local woman who had an unbelievable interest in John James Audubon and his art.

Susan Starling Towles: A Woman Ahead of Her Time

Susan Starling Towles was a remarkable woman who lived an extraordinary life. Born on a farm a few miles south of Henderson, KY, on October 11, 1861, she was a nervous, studious child who loved reading. Her mother recognized her daughter's talents and educated her at home until she attended Central School.


After graduation, Susan became a teacher and eventually the principal of Henderson Seminary, a private school for girls. But her life took a new turn in 1903 when she was asked to become the librarian of the Henderson library. Despite hesitating, Susan accepted the challenge and traveled to Washington, D.C., to learn the Library of Congress cataloging system. In 1904, the Henderson library opened with 500 books.

Susan's passion for education and civic engagement extended beyond the library. She was a member of the Henderson Audubon Society (Founded in 1898 as the first Audubon Society in Kentucky), working tirelessly with other civic leaders to establish the John James Audubon State Park and Museum, securing many of Audubon's paintings in the process. As president of the Civic Improvement Society in 1903, Susan and her colleagues planned the riverfront chain of parks. She was also a member of the General Hopkins chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a communicant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, a life member of the Women's Club, a member of the Century Club, and an organizer of the Society of Transylvanians.

Susan's memoir, in which she said, "Mine has been a busy life with many dreams and much fulfillment," perfectly encapsulates her incredible journey. Despite the limitations placed on women during her time, Susan's tireless dedication to education, community service, and the arts made her a trailblazer and role model for future generations.

John James Audubon State Park is a historical landmark in Henderson, Kentucky, just south of the Ohio River. It is named after John James Audubon, the famous ornithologist, naturalist, painter, and slave owner who lived in Henderson from 1810 to 1819 when it was still a frontier village. The park, which covers 650 acres of land, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and is dedicated as a state nature preserve by the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves.

In 1934, the Wolf Hills area in Henderson was selected for a new state park, and a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) base Camp Cromwell was established nearby. Over the next four years, the CCC drained swamps, built two lakes, and developed trails and roads, while the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the park shelters, the Tea House (which is now the park office), and the Audubon Museum using local stone and millwork.


The park could have been smoother sailing, with delays caused by a lack of funds and disagreements over its focus. However, with the help of Gibney Oscar Letcher, a Henderson attorney, and businessman, progress was made among the CCC, WPA, National Park Service, Kentucky Department of Parks, local contractors and suppliers, the Audubon Park Committee, and the Audubon family descendants. The Tea House was completed in June 1940 and served three meals daily until December 1941. The cottages were completed in the spring of 1941, and the recreational lake was excavated and filled. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Kentucky and the nation prepared for war. Camp Cromwell was converted into a Naval Cadet Aviation Training School during the war and supervised by Evansville College (presently the University of Evansville).


After World War II, attention returned to the park. From 1948 to 1955, a restoration and construction program was carried out, including construction of a new museum and nature center. From 1960 to 1969, another $500,000 was invested in the park by constructing a camping area and a nine-hole golf course. Additional land was acquired, bringing the park to nearly 700 acres.

Today, the park boasts the Audubon Museum, which proudly displays one of the world's largest collections of original Audubon art that made the wildlife artist a legend. The museum's four exhibit halls chronicle Audubon's life, including his 1810–1819 residence in Henderson, Kentucky, with personal artifacts and memorabilia that portray his often-difficult life.

John James Audubon State Park is a historical landmark and a nature lover's paradise. It is one of three state parks in Kentucky that will be in the path of totality for the 2024 total solar eclipse. It is a must-visit destination for those who appreciate art, history, and nature.



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...