Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/575593
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 1 9 5 Autobiography, journal, a collection of hunting tales, memoir—Jack Ward Thomas' trilogy is all of these. o o k s B Jim Casada US Forest Service from 1993 through 1996, was in every sense the real deal. As an avid hunter, a trained field biologist whose career embraced the word "field," a dedicated conservationist, and in many senses a visionary, he brought passion to his position and has done posterity a great favor by keeping a meticulous journal in an era where such records of an intensely personal nature have become rarities. Now Thomas has, through the I 'll readily confess that my patience with bureaucrats consistently rests at a low ebb, and I'm especially troubled by high-ranking public servants who bring ample political background but little practical knowledge to their positions. Too often the heads of government agencies, such as the National Parks Service, Environmental Protection Agency, US Fish and Wildlife, or US Forest Service, are ideologues or well-connected political hacks. The career of Jack Ward Thomas, on the other hand, offers a startling and most welcome contrast to the purely political appointee. Thomas, who served as chief of the ack Ward Thomas (far right) rests with other hunters and guides during one of his many stag hunts in the Scottish highlands. The inset photo shows Thomas at age 37. J