Ranger John Hannan is retiring on December 28th after 36 years working for the National Park Service.

John joined the National Park Service as a seasonal ranger at Carlsbad Caverns NP in the early 1970’s. He worked as a patrol ranger there for three summers. John had such a good time with the Park Service that after a few years working in the retail business he decided to come back to the Service.

In 1978 he took a job at the National Mall and Memorial Parks working as an interpretive ranger, working a lot of time at the Washington Monument. In 1979 he worked at visitor center at Union Station. At Union Station John learned how to work with other agencies. He also served as a temporary site manager at Old Post Office Tower.

One of John’s favorite things about working on the Mall was doing special tours for visitors and famous people. He enjoyed meeting people like President George W Bush and Sir Paul McCartney.   

Outside of the NPS, John plans on being active with maybe working at a foundation or for a bookstore. John says to new National Park Service employees, “find out what career path you would like to take, spend about five years in a park like the National Mall and then move on to a park where you can demonstrate your skills. Push for a master ranger program.”

John will be missed by the staff of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. We thank him for his 34 years of service to the park.

Contact Information
Name: John E. Donoghue
Email: John_Donoghue@nps.gov