Courtesy Photo | Dale Hollow Lake Park Ranger Bobby Bartlett poses with a water safety exhibit Oct. 29,...... read more read more
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By Park Ranger Desmaray Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District
CELINA, Tenn. (Dec. 12, 2024) – Park Ranger Bobby Bartlett attended both the 50th and 75th anniversaries of Dale Hollow Dam and has been a steward of Dale Hollow Lake for half a century. He is somewhat of a legend in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers circles and in local communities for his water safety and public outreach work and as a caretaker of the lake and its recreation areas.
Since the summer of 1985, he’s worked as a summer ranger while teaching school and driving a school bus during the winter months. Upon retirement from the Clay County School System, he started his seasonal park ranger position. With the Corps, he has held multiple positions as a park host, maintenance worker, park technician, and park ranger.
Ranger Bartlett, locally known as Mr. B, is part of a team of park rangers that manage more than 28,000 acres of public lands along 620 miles of shoreline, several day-use recreation areas, and four campgrounds. He possesses countless skills and a likable personality that has allowed him to succeed in this profession. In addition, he’s educated countless visitors on the importance of water safety, safeguarded public land, and assisted visitors across the lake, recreation areas, and campgrounds.
Known as Bobby B to the staff, he has provided support and encouragement to many younger rangers who have passed through the ranks at Dale Hollow. Over the years, Ranger Bartlett has taken on and succeeded in many roles as a ranger.
“Bobby has been responsible for overseeing primitive camping, boat patrols, gypsy moth monitoring, swim buoy management, Trooper Island interpretive programs, school programs, water safety programs, honor box fees, and so much more,” said Crystal Tingle, Dale Hollow Lake resource manager. “In all these areas and beyond, he has shown dedication, stewardship, and a strong love for Dale Hollow Lake and its people.”
Park Ranger Sondra Carmen, who has served Dale Hollow Lake for the past 35 years, has been able to clearly see the impact Bobby has made.
“Bobby is very loyal, loves people, is caring, and is a man of integrity, and it’s the foundation for everything that he does. He has a love for children and sharing our water safety mission with them,” Carmen said.
Carmen emphasized that other park rangers seek to model themselves after the high standards set by Ranger Bartlett.
“He is a solid example of a ranger and what it means to care about the people and the resources,” Carmen added. “Each year, one thing we can count on guests asking is, ‘Where’s Bobby? Is Bobby working today? Is Bobby still around here?’ He is leaving an irreplaceable legacy, and we are so lucky to have him at Dale Hollow Lake.”
As a seasoned park ranger with 50 years of experience, Bartlett explained that the best advice he could share with younger rangers starting their careers, is to “Just be yourself. Be true to yourself and do your job the best you can.”
Ranger Bartlett has received many awards and recognition for his efforts as a ranger, especially in water safety outreach. In 2013, he received two awards for his volunteer service with youth in the Corps Water Safety Program at the Kentucky State Police Trooper Island Camp.
Clay County Mayor Dale Reagan presented Bartlett with an Exceptional Service Award, and the Kentucky State Police honored him with a Water Safety Award.
His involvement in the community has reached far beyond the lake. He served as the first African American coach in the Upper Cumberland. He also worked in Clay County and the local community as a bus driver, teacher, and coach at Celina K-8.
Later, he coached in high school, a career that spanned 31 years. The Celina K-8 school gymnasium is named Bobby Bartlett Gymnasium because of the great impact he has had on sports in the community. He is a well-deserved member of the Clay County Sports Hall of Fame.
Ranger Bartlett said he is proud of his time with the Corps of Engineers because, “This is something that very few people, back when I started, around here, could experience. My wife was the first to get a college education in my community, I was the second. I’m proud that the public and my coworkers put trust in me to do my job.”
He also shared insight about what has fueled him and continues to motivate him to serve as a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District for 50 years. He said his fondest memory from working with the Corps is just being around people, talking to and checking on them, and participating in events.
“People, and the people I work with… You meet so many nice people from everywhere. I love to help people, and I also enjoy serving the public on boat patrols.”
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/Nashville-District/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on X (formerly Twitter) at www.x.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2024 14:55 |
| Story ID: | 487344 |
| Location: | CELINA, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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