The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers honored Dale Hollow Park Ranger Bobby Bartlett for his retirement after 50 years of service.
Bartlett honored with the Civilian Service Commendation Medal. Park Ranger Sondra Carmen said Bartlett, better known as “Mr. B” served as a seasonal park ranger while also teaching and driving a school bus for the Clay County School System. Carmen said many visitors looked forward to seeing Bartlett.
“He just loved it,” Carmen said. “He loved the people. He loved reaching out and providing safety information. Providing guests with, you know, answers to questions, talking about the lake, talking about the region, and he just loved being around people, and he had a wonderful personality for that.”
Carmen said Bartlett often talked about water safety and helped with several youth programs. Carmen said Bartlett will be missed and that he is irreplaceable.
“He is just part of our Corps of Engineers family,” Carmen said. “So it’s like, in my case, it’s like working with my dad. I hate, you know, that he has left us, but we are so excited that he is going to be enjoying retirement because he has dedicated so many years of his life here.”
Carmen said Bartlett played a key role in training new resource managers. Carmen said Bartlett was the face of the park rangers at Dale Hollow Lake.
“There’s just a consistency of his knowledge and his presence and his skills,” Carmen said. “Many rangers like myself came along, and Mr. B sort of showed us the ropes and did some training with us, and, you know, we have stayed around as well.”
Bartlett honored with a wooden map of Dale Hollow Lake upon his retirement.
