Park Rangers Association of California
Honorary Lifetime Member Award 2003

Bill Orr

The Park Rangers Association of California (PRAC) is pleased to announce
that the 2003 recipient of the Honorary Lifetime Member Award is BILL
ORR. Bill is the founder and director of the National Park Service
Seasonal Law Enforcement Ranger Academy through Santa Rosa Junior
College. The Honorary Lifetime Member Award is the highest honor PRAC
can bestow upon individuals who have performed distinguished service
toward the goals of the association.

Bill stared his career with the NPS in 1950 as a Seasonal Park Ranger at
Devil,Äôs Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Bill worked his way up
through the ranks and through many assignments retiring as Chief Ranger
for the Western Region of the NPS in 1980. His responsibility covered
in excess of 33 NPS areas in the Western United States. As Chief Ranger
he was senior ranger in many regional matters including law enforcement.

During his service as the Chief Ranger, he pioneered the concept of a
Seasonal Ranger Law Enforcement Academy. Bill fought for the program
against great political resistance. Many people felt that the only
people who should be commissioned as law enforcement officers were those
that graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)
in Glynco, Georgia. Bill protested that the seasonal ranger forces were
the backbone of the NPS because during peak seasons, they comprise
approximately 60% of the ranger personnel. Bill,Äôs practical proposal
for a Seasonal Law Enforcement program precluded them from service of
arrest warrants and investigation of major crimes, thus differentiating
them from the FLETC trained law enforcement park personnel. Based on
this premise, Bill began the groundwork for the Seasonal Law Enforcement
program in 1977 and presented the first class in the spring of 1978
through Santa Rosa Junior College.

His successful program was emulated throughout the United States and
accepted by FLETC as the training model for the Seasonal Law Enforcement
program. The program Bill created helped establish a professional
training standard not only for NPS Seasonal Law Enforcement Rangers but
for several local agencies in California as well. 105 classes have
graduated from the program Bill created at SRJC.

PRAC is honored to recognize Bill for his distinguished service devoted
toward the goals of PRAC which includes establishing professional
training standards for park rangers, providing professional training for
rangers, educating agencies on the problems rangers face in the field
and accenting the need for training. Bill's dedication and commitment
are an example to all.