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50 Nifty Finds #30: So Funny It Hurt

Like other large institutions, the National Park Service (NPS) has its own organizational culture. It is shaped by its managers and employees, can be difficult to understand at times, and is slow to change. One of the places NPS culture—and recurring issues of concern to employees—can be seen is in internal communications such as servicewide employee newsletters in the NPS History Collection. The language, images, and features in these newsletters reflects who controls the narratives, employee and management divides, how women and minorities are valued, and when or how organizational culture—and sometimes by extension American society—shifts.

Humor is a form of commentary that often reveals serious truths. Cartoonists combine artistic talents with razor-sharp wits to shine light on political and social issues. In most cases, those artists are external observers. In NPS newsletters, however, the cartoons were created by employees. Although it can be argued that they represent individual points of view, their publication in official or quasi-official newsletters suggests institutional support, providing a view into NPS organizational culture at any given time.

The first NPS newsletter was created in April 1919, but cartoons weren't included until the late 1960s. By then, the employee newsletter was called the National Park Courier. It was known as "Steve Mather's Family Newspaper," after the first NPS director.

Three Dale C Thompson cartoons featuring NPS scenes
Three cartoons by Dale C. Thompson published in "Courier" in January, July, and November 1967. (NPS History Collection, HFCA 1645)

Dale C. Thompson

The first employee to have his cartoons printed in the Courier was Dale C. Thompson. He was born in North Dakota in 1932. He earned BS degrees in art and geography from Valley State Teachers College and went on to get a master's degree in physical geography from Ohio State University. He also served four years in the US Navy. After teaching for three years, Thompson joined the federal government.

After three years with another agency, Thompson's became a ranger in 1960 at Mount Rushmore National Monument. He transferred to Joshua Tree National Monument the next year. On December 2, 1962, he became a ranger at Dinosaur National Monument. Within 1½ years he was promoted to assistant chief naturalist. He later became chief naturalist at Lava Beds National Monument.

In 1967 Thompson drew four cartoons for the Courier. His first cartoon features a ranger in a spacesuit standing on the moon, with two aliens. He points to a sign that reads, "Welcome to Craters on the Moon International Park." The earth and satellites can be seen in the sky. The play on Craters of the Moon National Monument (now also a preserve) is obvious and not surprising given the "space race" between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the publicity given to the Gemini Program, at the time. However, Thompson's cartoon is also a commentary on the rapid expansion of the National Park System in the 1960s under NPS Director George B. Hartzog Jr. Concern about adding new units as overall NPS funding and staffing decline continued through subsequent administrations and remains for many employees today.

Thompson's surfer cartoon features a ranger among sand dunes standing next to a sign for Great Sand Dunes National Monument. A man in shorts, holding a surfboard and sunglasses, says, "Hey Daddyo...which way to the beach??" At first glance, it appears only to gently poke fun of a visitor for not knowing where he is or what the park is about. In historical context, however, the cartoon is also commentary on the increased emphasis on recreation across the NPS and appropriate use of parks. Although surfing, which increased in popularity in the United States in the 1960s, was the perfect foil for Great Sand Dunes, more today's rangers might see public interest in geocaching or drones as part of the comedic conversation.

Throughout his NPS career, Thompson illustrated numerous brochures, trail guides, and reports. He was known for his wildlife illustrations, which are noticeably absent from his cartoons. Instead of drawing bears, he chose to draw bare women. In that cartoon, a ranger smoking a pipe approaches a lake with two naked women in it. One is submerged in the water to her shoulders. The other is just entering the water, leaving her back, buttocks, and legs on view. The "please don't feed the bears" sign has been altered with a large X through "bears" and "bares" added below. The ranger says, "Waal now...Just a dawgone minute!!" Although the cartoon presumably depicts naked visitors, it wouldn't be long before other artists brought nudity and gender stereotypes into the workplace. Thompson's ranger figures in the surfer and bares illustrations are reminiscent of the Ranger Smith character introduced in Hanna-Barbera's Yogi Bear cartoons in 1958.

Thompson became assistant chief naturalist at Mount Rainier National Park in 1968. In 1972 he transferred as a training specialist to the Horace M. Albright Training Center at Grand Canyon National Park. He held that position for four years. In August 1976 he became chief naturalist at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Two years later Thompson returned to Mount Rainier as chief naturalist. He retired from the NPS in 1981, when he was 48 years old, to pursue his art full time. He expanded his developing reputation as a wildlife artist and found commercial success in his second career. Thompson's art was reproduced as art prints, calendars, and even on decks of cards.

Dennis W. Kuenzel

Shortly after Thompson, the Courier began publishing cartoons by Dennis W. Kuenzel. His cartoons were arguably less well executed but sharper in their commentary about life in the NPS. Kuenzel was born on June 25, 1930, in Pontiac, Michigan. Although it's not clear when he joined the NPS, he was a ranger at Fort Pulaski National Monument by the late 1960s. About a dozen Kuenzel cartoons were published in the Courier between April 1967 and September 1972.

An example of a cartoon that poked fun at interpretation (and the rise of nudism in the United States) was published in June 1967. He drew a chief naturalist sitting at his desk talking with a naked man wearing a ranger hat. The line is "I like your imagination...but you may be getting carried away with this 'nature hike'." Another from March 1968 reflects the increased use of living history in NPS interpretive programs. He drew a man at Custer Battlefield (now Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument) dressed in a US Calvary uniform and shot through with arrows. He tells his secretary seated at her desk and typing furiously on a typewriter, "Take a letter. To director. From superintendent. 'These live re-enactments have gone just too far'."

His cartoons also express frustration with NPS hiring practices. The time it took to refill vacant positions is suggested by an April 1967 cartoon featuring an angry ranger carrying a smoking handgun walking away from a body on the floor suggested by legs and feet with a hole shot through one foot. Two rangers in the foreground comment on the scene when one says to the other, "The superintendent mumbled something about a vacancy." The seemingly arbitrary practice of selecting people to fill jobs is represented in his October 1967 cartoon. Four images of the same manager with a stack of applications follows him through his selection process as he narrates, "Gentleman, as the selection committee, we have spent hours studying the qualifications...have grouped together the men who could fill the position...now it is up to us to select the most capable candidate...will it be the one I can throw the farthest this time, or the shortest?" The fact that both the hiring panel and the applicants are all men is also worth noting.

Six separate cartoon panels depicting NPS scenes
Six cartoons by Dennis W. Kuenzel, published in "Courier" in April, May, June and October 1967, March 1968, and September 1972, respectively. (NPS History Collection, HFCA 1645)

Kuenzel's cartoons provide insights into the sexism women experienced in the NPS. His May 1967 cartoon features a woman in a bikini and high heels placing a sheet of paper in an inbox on the desk. A ranger sits behind the desk as another leans across it pointing a finger at him. The text reads, "Now look here...the Incentive Awards Committee hasn't accepted the 'Ranger Aide' idea yet." This cartoon has the dubious distinction of being the first known—but not the last—to objectify NPS women rather than portraying them as professionals in the workplace. In September 1972—marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the first national park—Kuenzel won $5 in the monthly Courier cartoon contest for a drawing equating the three categories of NPS sites (historical, natural, and recreational) to women in beauty pageants. A male ranger proclaims, "...And now, to commemorate the Services [sic] centennial program...As you know we have three types of areas...So...Here's Miss History" (depicted as an elderly woman with a cane), "...Miss Recreation" (suggestively depicted as a woman in a bikini), "...And of course Miss Natural" (depicted as a man peeking through curtains at an unseen naked woman behind them).

Kuenzel stayed at Fort Pulaski at least through 1973, when he briefly served as acting superintendent. By 1978 he was chief ranger at Biscayne National Park. He transferred to Canaveral National Seashore in 1980, serving as chief ranger through at least 1985. Kuenzel likely retired in the late 1980s. He died on July 12, 2014.

Other Contest Winners

In the early 1970s the Courier's monthly contest encouraged more employees to submit cartoons. The number of submissions was generally low and the art more amateurish, but they reflected experiences and concerns of many employees. Published cartoons were sent in by Ricardo Lewis (Washington Office), John Kowalski (National Capital Parks East), John A. Wagoner (Sequoia National Park), Greg Stiles (Salem Maritime National Historic Site), Ted Bryant (Cabrillo National Monument), B.J. Johnson (Petersburg National Battlefield), and Danny Close (Carlsbad Caverns National Park). Women also submitted winning cartoons. They included Joan F. Crider (Mound City Group National Monument), Mary Bradford (Cabrillo National Monument), Sue Alley (Petersburg National Battlefield), and two-time winner Susan Cowles (Carlsbad Caverns). Elaine Campbell, the wife of a ranger at Delaware Water Gap, also won.

Two artists from this period stand out for the quality of their cartoons and the sharpness of their messages. Glenn Snyder was a visual information specialist in the Division of State and Private Assistance in the NPS Washington Office. His first cartoon was published in August 1971. He won the contest three times in 1972. Snyder's 1971 cartoon express growing tensions with NPS uniform regulations and personal grooming choices, as well as double standards between supervisors and staff. A fat, disheveled ranger points a finger at the bearded face of a thin, tidy-looking ranger, saying "You know the high uniform standards of the service. The wearing of beards is not acceptable dress for uniformed employees."

Doug Bowen at Everglades National Park won in 1972 and 1973. His 1972 park technician cartoon addressed the lack of upward mobility within the NPS. He drew two men, one wearing a ranger uniform and the other in street clothes. The ranger tells the man, "What we want are highly capable park technicians who are willing to start at the bottom and stay there!" The lack of upward mobility would be recognized by many employees today.

Bowen's 1973 cartoon speaks to an issue that dates to the early 1920s when the NPS began its education program, namely who and what is a park ranger. In the 1930s and 1940s naturalists were regarded as effeminate by more macho park rangers. Some even called them "pansy pickers and butterfly chasers." Decades later Bowen drew two rangers in the NPS uniform. One rests a hand on his gun and holds up a hand to demand someone stop. The other holds a flower in one hand and gives the peace sign with the other as two butterflies flit around over his head. The line reads, "What do you mean.......'Ranger image'??" Bowen's cartoon demonstrates the longevity of the issue. Over the decades the roles of law enforcement and interpretive park rangers, and who was authorized to wear the ranger badge, continue to reflect internal strife among some employees.

Three cartoons featuring NPS ranger scenes
Left to right: "Courier" cartoons by Glenn Snyder (June 1972) and Doug Bowen (May 1972 and May 1973). (NPS History Collection, HFCA 1645)

"Hoofy"

In July 1974 the Courier "unearthed another talented cartoonist," publishing its first cartoon by Keith L. Hoofnagle. In truth, he had been contributing cartoons to In Touch, another NPS publication, since April. In August, the Courier published a full-page spread featuring his "NPS Terms: What They Really Mean" cartoon. It featured six panels "explaining" phrases like "controlled burn" (when your superintendent counts to ten), "intake trainee" (a GS-5 who is absolutely convinced that he'll be a GS-12 in two years), and "NPS uniform" (something they don't make like they used to). His "patrol person" cartoon defines the position as "a person who patrols. Formerly called a patrolman, the designation has been changed for obvious reasons." The scene depicts a large-breasted woman ranger with one hand on her hip and another reaching for a driver's license being handed to her from a car window. The unseen man in the car says, "You're a ranger?" The thought bubble over her head says, "If he tries anything I'll hit him with my purse!" Two small, chubby baby-like creatures wearing ranger hats (which Hoofnagle christened Rangeroons©) watch nearby. One has been knocked down and is seeing stars. His companion says, "Don't take it so hard. She only hit you with a little old purse!" The other replies, "Yeah, but did you see what she has in that purse? A .38 chief special, 20 rounds of ammo, handcuffs, and five cans of mace!" It's not known why, but after the Courier published Hoofnagle's cartoon, it stopped regularly printing any cartoons. Hoofnagle, however, still had more to say.

Cartoon of a large-breasted park ranger stopping a car
"Patrol Person" cartoon by Keith L. Hoofnagle, published in the August 1974 "Courier". (NPS History Collection, HFCA 545)

Keith Lundy Hoofnagle was born in Washington in June 1941. Artistic from an early age, he published his first cartoon in Washington Farmer when he was ten years old. His family vacationed in national parks during his childhood. A casual comment by his mother led to a fascination with the job of fire lookout.

Hoofnagle graduated from Marysville High School in 1958. He enrolled at Washington State University (WSU), waiting to turn 18 and fulfill his dream of being a fire lookout. As soon as he was eligible, he got a job in Washington’s Department of Natural Resources. Each summer the lookout job gave him time and subjects to draw. He was surprised to find that most fire lookouts were older women. His experiences resulted in his 1965 book The Story of Linda Lookout. Hoofnagle was an art major at WSU until 1966. His cartoons were published in Daily Evergreen, the university’s newspaper. He also created cover art for Washington Farmer during the 1960s. In 1964 he illustrated Dance A While: Handbook of Folk, Square, and Social Dance. One source suggests he worked briefly for American Greetings but that hasn't been independently confirmed.

By the mid-1960s, Hoofnagle was working at Yellowstone National Park. Getting to his fire tower involved an 11-mile, one-way trek by foot or by horse. He never left until the end of each season; a packer brought supplies once a week. Hoofnagle worked five summers as a fire control aid before becoming a ranger-naturalist. It was at Yellowstone that he first created his Rangeroons©, “the little people of the national parks." Yellowstone managers increasingly asked him to make posters and other illustrations without additional compensation. In a 2016 interview he stated, "I felt like I was kind of being taking advantage of, but at the same time I was loving being up there. They made it up to me when I became a permanent ranger." Hoofnagle also worked as a ranger at Saguaro National Monument in the late 1960s.

In 1970 he illustrated Winter Comes to Yellowstone, a guide for winter visitors. The next year he created the drawings for the “Park Ranger” coloring book, first released at Yellowstone. Later editions remain popular with children and adults across the country. In 1971, he created exhibit story boards featuring “Fuzzy the Bear,” to educate people about the consequences of feeding bears. He also drew maps and charts for The Bison of Yellowstone National Park (1973). He moved on to become an exhibit planner at Harpers Ferry Center (HFC), the NPS interpretive design center. In 1974 he created 23 drawings to illustrate an informational program for HFC's bicentennial planning efforts. That same year, while at HFC, Hoofnagle began drawing for In Touch.

Women ranger in a ball gown presented as Miss Interpretation
"Miss Interpretation" cartoon panel from "Here We Go Again" created by Keith L. Hoofnagle and published in "In Touch" in August 1975. (NPS History Collection, HFCA 447)

Out of Touch?

In April 1974 the NPS Division of Interpretation and Visitor Services began publishing In Touch, a newsletter “produced for and by NPS people concerned with interpretative and visitor services.” Roy Graybill was editor while Hoofnagle handled its design and contributed original cartoons. Hoofnagle also drew many sweet and whimsical pieces for cover art. Those illustrations reflect the range of his artistic abilities, including his talent as a wildlife illustrator.

In Touch
represented the "field perspective" rather than that of the Washington Office. It provided advice and inspiration, pushed back against fads, and—largely through Hoofnagle’s cartoons—aired frustrations with NPS policies or practices. Many considered Hoofnagle’s cartoons iconic while others viewed them as sexist and divisive. His work continues to have many fans. As with those who came before him, his most biting cartoons speak to issues that still resonate with many employees today, including low pay, reliance on seasonal employees with little hope of getting permanent positions, ill-fitting uniforms, tensions between different NPS professions, visitor interactions, and the practices of interpretation.

Hoofnagle drew macho law enforcement rangers, overweight managers, irate or clueless visitors. Women were mostly drawn with large breasts and paired with suggestive remarks. The Rangeroons and ants or other bugs added commentary just as crows did in Frank Kettlewell’s political cartoons in the 1920s and 1930s. Sometimes their comments acknowledged the controversial content or anticipated complaints. Like the NPS at the time, Hoofnagle's cartoons showed little diversity. It's not known if that was a deliberate comment on the largely white workforce, but it is another issue that continues to resonate within NPS organizational culture. Only two of the 106 cartoons in the NPS History Collection feature African Americans.

Some of his cartoons reflected ideas covered by earlier cartoonists, including the naked hike, living history, an overweight supervisor in a crumpled uniform criticizing how a seasonal employee wears the uniform, and adding "Miss Interpretation" to Kuenzel's beauty pageant "misses." In that 1975 cartoon, a curvy, small-waisted, and nose-less woman wears a ball gown with an NPS arrowhead patch on one large breast and a ranger hat at a jaunty angle on her head. A man in a checkered suit holds her hand and proclaims, "And here she is, ladies and gentlemen, Miss Interpretation!" An ant in the lower right says, "Now there's a nice uniform!" while a Rangeroon in the other corner questions the title "Miss Interpretation?" Recognizing that the "Here We Go Again" cartoon that the panel was part of might not be well received, Hoofnagle added a Rangeroon near the title saying, "I wonder how many people his is going to offend this time?"

At times, Hoofnagle seemed to court that controversy with apparent approval of Graybill and those above him. A panel from his “Ideas for the ’75 Season” cartoon was based on a 1971 “Fly Me” ad campaign for National Airlines which featured stewardesses using that suggestive tag line. The ad sparked protests by the National Organization for Women. National Airlines leaned into its campaign despite the backlash from women. Hoofnagle appears to have done the same. His cartoon features a large-breasted woman ranger with long hair and eyelashes, wearing a big smile and standing next to signs that read "Ranger guided nature hike meet here" and "Oblivion Falls 2 miles." A distressed family stands nearby with a young boy whose tongue hangs out as he points excitedly towards her. The ranger proclaims, "I'm Ellen. Hike me to Oblivion!!" In case anyone missed the reference, a Rangeroon in the corner says, "It's some new idea they got from an airline ad campaign. Think it will work?" Created four years after the ad campaign, Hoofnagle's cartoon feels less like a cultural touchstone and more like cheap titillation and degradation of his female colleagues.

Cartoon of a large-breasted woman ranger saying "I'm Ellen Hike me to Oblivion" to a family standing nearby.
"Hike Me" cartoon from the larger "Ideas for the '75 Season" cartoon by Keith Hoofnagle, published in March 1975. (NPS History Collection, HFCA 238)

When he donated his drawings to the NPS History Collection, Hoofnagle recalled that his "Summer of '79" cartoons resulted in his being labeled "sexist, among other things." Two panels from the drawing related specifically to women. The first features a large-breasted, older woman with an uncomfortable look on her face. A long name tag is pinned to her uniform shirt on each breast. A man in uniform points towards a nametag and says, "But, Esmeralda, there are eight syllables in your last name alone...There was no way it could fit all on one name tag!" An ant in the lower corner says, "There's no dearth of space for two name tags on her...er...uniform!" Another ant accuses, "Sexist!" The second cartoon features a young, large-breasted woman in uniform under the headline, "NPS Gossip (rangers do it as much as their wives). There's nothing private about the private lives of seasonals and single rangers." She explains to a Rangeroon, "If I live by myself, I'm considered a threat by all the park wives. If I like to be alone sometimes, I'm an old maid! If I share an apartment with another girl, they're sure I'm a you-know-what! If I have a few friends over I'm 'loose'!" The Rangeroon responds "Nothing you do can please everyone, so why try?"

Two cartoon panels depicting large-breasted women dealing with issues of long names and gossip.
Two cartoon panels from "Summer of '79" drawn by Keith L. Hoofnagle, published in "In Touch" Summer 1979. (NPS History Collection, HFCA 447)

Although his depiction of women's physical characteristics hadn't changed, the ideas for both cartoons were submitted to him from the field, something that employees frequently did (and which he credited in the drawings). One addressed an issue faced by NPS women in uniform, and the other the realities of living and working in parks as a single woman. They certainly appear more "issue driven" than his "Miss Interpretation" or "Hike Me" cartoons.

Hoofnagle's drawings often reflected the experiences of seasonal rangers in national parks. One of his panels in 1977's "Seasonal Schedule" depicts an older, crying male ranger with wallet so empty that a fly leaves it. Two silhouettes of rangers are in the background. One of them says to the other, "It's almost the end of the summer and all he's got to show for it is $209.00 in his savings account and 103 hours of comp time he can't use!" In another cartoon panel, a grinning ranger holding a $250.00 check in one hand and a gizmo in the other. The text box points to him and notes, "Peter Permanent wins a $250.00 incentive award for developing a bear-proof hassenfratz!" Below him is a woman ranger and the text, "Meanwhile, Sylvia Seasonal runs the entire interpretive program for the summer and all they do is say 'You'll never know how much we appreciate this!' And sure enough she never knows."

Many modern parallels are seen in another cartoon which depicts a young boy carrying a fawn to a ranger who throws up his hands. The child says, "Ranger, sir, I found this poor little orphan deer in the meadow. It was all alone! Can I take it home and raise it?"

Three cartoon panels with NPS scenes
Three panels from "Summer Schedules" by Keith L. Hoofnagle published in "In Touch" in July 1977. (NPS History Collection, HFCA 238)

His "Pet Peeves" series was funny because the characters are recognized in many workplaces. He skewered people who hoarded office supplies, chronic complainers, negative thinkers, those who drank coffee without contributing to the office coffee fund, and people who didn't use all of their vacation time and made sure everyone knew it. Management wasn't exempt from ridicule. In his "Don't Do As I Do, Do As I Say, Dept." cartoon, a man at a podium lectures the audience saying, "We in the NPS have got to curtail unnecessary travel. I said that in Wash. D.C. yesterday, I'm saying it here in Seattle today, I'll say it in Anchorage tomorrow, and Honolulu next week. Let's curtail travel!" Not all of Hoofnagle's pet peeves were well received. One letter to the editor noted, "A bit of healthy criticism is a good thing. Yet, I suspect that jokes like this perpetuate long-standing bias, stereotypes, and conflicts within our organization."

About June 1975 Hoofnagle transferred to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park as a ranger-naturalist. In 1977, he presented one of his drawings to Amy Carter during a visit to the park with her mother, First Lady Rosalynn Carter. He also created a coloring book for the park. By 1978, Hoofnagle was a district naturalist at Olympic National Park. His talents continued to be used in publications, including creation of NPS maps. His two-panel Rangeroons cartoons were featured in the Courier: The National Park Service Newsletter, under the “By Hoofy” byline. In 1979 his Rangeroons© featured in four employee posters for the Year of the Visitor campaign.

Cartoon of a macho ranger looking at a book, surrounded by animals in the forest.
"Nature Boy" by Keith L. Hoofnagle. The ranger is admiring "Interpreting for Park Visitors." Published on the cover of Fall 1980, "In Touch." (NPS History Collection, HFCA 238)

In early 1980, the superintendent at Olympic decided that Hoofnagle could no longer create his cartoons and cover art for In Touch as part of his regular duties. Several cooperating associations paid Hoofnagle to draw on his personal time, bringing more of his cartoons and cover art to the magazine for a few more months. However, the Department of the Interior implemented a moratorium on printing which put an end to In Touch (although it was briefly revived in 1986 without Hoofnagle).

A final issue was planned for Summer 1981, but it was never published. It would have featured a selection of Hoofnagle's cartoons over the year. To accompany them, he wrote,

During the past seven years my In Touch cartoons have been praised and lambasted, copied and ridiculed...and I've loved every minute of it! Perhaps I'm prejudiced, but I feel that In Touch is special, and I think that Editor Roy Graybill is responsible for its climate of creativity, freedom, and open dialogue. In Touch is unprecedented in the NPS, at least I don't know of anything quite like it. As I begin to concentrate on my other NPS-related art projects, I hope that NPS folks will still see my work occasionally. When I was visiting a park in the Southwest recently a ranger introduced me to his friend as "Hoofnagle, the NPS cartoonist." Well, I've been called worse...and, come to think of it, the title "NPS cartoonist" does have a certain ring to it. I think I like it.

Writing to Graybill in May 1981, Hoofnagle noted, "I guess my one regret is that in recent months more NPS folks have sent me [more] cartoon ideas than ever...some of them quite good. It's too bad they'll never see the light of day in finished cartoon form."

He worked with former Yellowstone colleague William J. Lewis to illustrate Interpreting for Park Visitors. The freelance project, published in 1980, used about 50 of his Rangeroons© as well as his detailed drawings of animals. He also drew the cover art of Exploring the Olympic Seashore (1980). In 1981 he published Stumps: A Cartoonist Looks at Life in a Logging Town to raise funds for a museum in Forks, Washington.

Hoofnagle continued to design and illustrate NPS publications including "Boss" Pinkley’s Ruminations and A Manager’s Guide to Resource Information Systems (1984). He transferred to the NPS Alaska Regional Office by 1984 as a visual information specialist. His work included developing exhibit plans. He also drew artifacts, Tlingit warriors for an Alaska Anthropological Association poster, and other illustrations. He won an award in 1992 for an exhibit he developed for Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.

In 1982 Hoofnagle drew the logo used by the Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR) for its sixth Ranger Rendezvous, which was published in ANPR’s Newsletter and on t-shirts. Three years later he drew the logo for ANPR’s ninth Ranger Rendezvous and began creating cartoons for ANPR’s journal Ranger. As with some of his In Touch cartoons, the seasons were his theme. He continued these quarterly cartoon submissions through 1989.

In 1991 Hoofnagle’s Rangeroons© marked the 75th anniversary of the NPS when he created a special calendar and an anniversary logo incorporating his character in a version of the early NPS windshield stickers. That same year, Bunky Rangeroon came to life for the first time when a costume was made of it to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The NPS 75th anniversary Rangeroons© design was featured on notecards, mugs, and enameled lapel pins.

Hoofnagle retired from the NPS in early 1994. In addition to the cartoons in the NPS History Collection, some of his drawings are archived as part of Hoofnagle’s papers at WSU. In retirement, he continued to draw cartoons for ANPR and for museum exhibits in his community, even as he works on a book of his NPS art.

Two rangeroon cartoons about work and pay
Two Hoofnagle Rangeroons© cartoons. Top: A Rangeroon at his desk looks at his position description and says, "I used to always make it a point to do more than was expected of me...and now it is expected of me!" Bottom: A Rangeroon with his wallet and bills says, "It's really something working for the Park Service...My wallet is always filled with a wad of bills...too bad some of them aren't paid!" (NPS History Collection, HFCA 797)

Sources:

--. (1968, March 27). “Transferred.” The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California), p. 31.

--. (1970, January 25). “Enjoying Yellowstone in Winter.” The Billings Gazette (Billings, Montana), p. 46.

--. (1971, June 26). “Color Book Available in Yellowstone.” The Montana Standard (Butte, Montana), p. 2.

-- (1976, August 31). “Dale Thompson is Chief Naturalist.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald (Hilo, Hawaii), p. 5.

--. (1980, September 16). “Professor Publishes National Parks Book.” The Burlington Free Press (Burlington, Vermont), p. 12.

--. (1980, November). “Rangeroon Goes Paperback.” Courier: The National Park Service Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 12, p. 34. NPS History Collection (HFCA 1645), Harpers Ferry, WV. Available online at http://npshistory.com/newsletters/courier/courier-v3n12.pdf

--. (1981, May). “Hoofy for More Good Causes.” Courier: The National Park Service Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 5, p. 23. NPS History Collection (HFCA 1645), Harpers Ferry, WV. Available online at http://npshistory.com/newsletters/courier/courier-v4n5.pdf

--. (1982, December). “Appalachian Rendezvous.” Newsletter, The Association of National Park Rangers, Vol. IV, No. 3, p. 1. Available online at https://www.anpr.org/documents/newsletter/Volume4Number3.pdf

--. (1990, October). “Business News.” Courier: Newsmagazine of the National Park Service, p. 27. NPS History Collection, (HFCA 1645), Harpers Ferry, WV. Available online at http://www.npshistory.com/newsletters/courier/courier-v35n10.pdf

--. (1991, September 12). “Celebration Held for National Park Service.” The Current Local (Van Buren, Missouri), p. 1.

--. (1993, March 1993). “Awards.” Courier: Newsmagazine of the National Park Service, p. 18. NPS History Collection, (HFCA 1645), Harpers Ferry, WV. Available online at http://npshistory.com/newsletters/courier/courier-v38n3.pdf

--. (ca. 2019). “Keith Hoofnagle’s Rangeroons©.” Available online at http://npshistory.com/rangeroons-of-the-month/index.htm

Assembled Historic Records of the NPS Collection (HFCA 1645). NPS History Collection, Harpers Ferry, WV.

Backlig, Andy. (1977, June 24). “First Lady, Amy end Big Island Visit.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald (Hilo, Hawai’i ), p. 1, 10.

Birth, census, death, and marriage records on Ancestry.com.

MacIntosh, Barry. (1986). Interpretation in the National Park Service: A Historical Perspective. National Park Service, Washington, DC. NPS History Collection (HFCA 1645), Harpers Ferry, WV.

MacNay, Malcolm. (1981, May 23). “Dale Thompson Takes Up Brushes Full Time.” The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), p. 30.

Meagher, Margaret Mary. (1973). The Bison of Yellowstone National Park. National Park Service Scientific Monographer Number 1. Available digitally at https://www.ozarkbisons.com/literature/The_Bison_of_Yellowstone_National_Park.pdf

Riddle, Mary E. (1985/1986 Winter). “Letters.” Ranger: The Journal of the Association of National Park Rangers, Vol. II, No. 1, p. 22-23.

Rood, Jim. (1975, July 1). “New Volcano Pamphlets Offered.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald (Hilo, Hawai’i ), p. 5.

Zimmerman, Diana. (2016, January 21). “Love of Art, Outdoors Defines Keith Hoofnagle.” The Wahkiahum County Eagle, accessed July 1, 2023, at https://www.waheagle.com/story/2016/01/21/news/love-of-art-outdoors-defines-keith-hoofnagle/10879.html


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Last updated: July 10, 2023