Quail Creek’s second Kino Lecture will be held at 7:00 p.m. Monday, January 14 in the Madera Clubhouse Ballroom. Former dentist and National Park Ranger, Doug Leen, will share his 1971 discovery of a WPA poster while helping to clean a CC Stable at Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park.
Thus began a 47-year search for the original 14 posters created by the WPA from 1938-41. Since his search began, he has found and donated to the National Park System 13 of the original 14 posters. His talk will include pictures of all the original posters and the story behind his search for them.
After serving as a ranger for five years, Doug entered dental school in Washington where he had a private practice in Seattle’s Pike District.
Since selling his practice, he has spent time in Alaska serving indigenous people as well as serving as the dentist in the 2004-05 season at the South Pole with the National Science Foundation. He spends his summers in Alaska then returns to his home in Seattle to run Ranger Doug’s Enterprises which he established in 1992 to reproduce National Park posters using the original WPA silk screen method.
He says his goal is to have a National Park poster in every home in America. Believing our National Parks are truly an American treasure needing our support for their survival, he continues to volunteer with the Park System. After lecturing at Quail Creek, he will spend a month at Petrified Forest National Park working on a dinosaur project.
Kino lectures are co-sponsored by Quail Creek’s Education Committee and TWOQC’s Scholarship Committee. Tickets are only $5 with all profits donated to the Scholarship Fund which annually awards money to senior girls at the two Sahuarita highs schools as well as to women in transition wishing to further their education. Please join us for this unique lecture.