Dear Editor,

All but two names in the following are being withheld to protect the innocent and the guilty.

I met Paul Hampton in 1984 when I was hired at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as a Forest Crew Supervisor (FCS) at Clearwater Honor Camp. Paul supervised a 5-person specialty crew, I supervised a 10-person inmate crew. You noticed I called it Clearwater Honor Camp. There were two totem poles that stood at entrance before entering the restricted area. The name was later changed, when it became a prison not an honor camp, to Olympic Correction Center

Clearwater inmate crews supervised by DNR Forest Crew Supervisors, have accomplished so much in wildland fire, reforestation, building roads, fish habitat, etc., and been involved in the community of Forks. I remember we built some of the first baseball fields.

Two years later (1986) the DNR Superintendent asked Paul and I to supervise the Clearwater Field Kitchen. He allowed us time to make changes. One change we did not make however, will later come out to bite us. Our first fire assignment with the kitchen was in Cle Elum, WA. at the airport. I now live nine miles from that airport. We were pumped and serving breakfast. We were about 30 people through to chow line, when another DNR employee (rest in peace) came to me and said, “Bill taste the pancakes.” This is the one thing we had not changed just bit. The pancake flour had been stored in the same cabinets with Spic and Span. Both were still sealed and never opened, but that taste and smell leached into the pancake flour! To this day I cannot stand the smell or the site of it! We got things straightened out and it was a good assignment. However, somehow, I got a nickname out of it! Paul did not get a nickname! It has stayed with me all my life. In fact, just a couple months ago I got a text from a retired DNR employee and it started with “HEY BUBBLES.” That is correct BUBBLES!

The last fire of the season we set the kitchen up at the Hyak Roads Facility just off I-90, on the east side of Snoqualmie pass. Late October and It was cold! We had to keep milk in the refer to keep it from freezing! On the second day Paul and I were helping inmate cooks to prepare a big salad, and keep it from freezing. I had my back to the kitchen and Paul was down the line chopping lettuce and he could see behind me. We were listening to the Seahawks game, 4th down and they had to punt. Paul yells, “Bill we need to punt,” bends over and hikes me a head of lettuce! Of course, you know what happened to that lettuce, 60 yards everywhere! Then the Incident Commander and our Supervisor put his hands on my left shoulder, I almost, well you know! He just looked at us both, smiled, and walked away. Got to motivate them somehow! I will get back the kitchens later!

I traveled all over Washington State with Paul. He always talked about his family, was a proud husband, and father. Or he talked about Florida which was also family. Paul had experience in Wildfires while in Florida, or it was eating alligator meat, boiling raw peanuts, meeting his wife Elsie there. He talked about the years as a man that served his country in the United States Navy and the Reserves. In case you did

not know Paul could not swim. He was proud to be a member of the Forks Elks. I was very honored when Paul asked me to be a pallbearer at his father’s funeral.

In approximately 1988, Paul promoted to the Assistant Camp Superintendent for DNR. He was the first Forest Crew Supervisor in the Inmate Camps program to work his way into management. There happened to be 10 facilities DNR/DOC/ Department Juvenile Rehabilitation (DJR) inmate work camps in the state, juvenile and adult males and one female crew out of Purdy. Without a degree in forestry or equal the job as FCS was a dead-end job, or so everyone said or thought. Well, no it was not and Paul proved it. I was the third FCS to promote to management also in 1988. Paul and I were peers together as Assistant Camp Superintendents for the Department of Natural Resources. It once was the largest work camp in 3 states.

We all know Paul liked to tell jokes. (So did his mom!) Paul also liked to be a prankster. It was April, my birthday, and it was on a Friday. I was not able to make it to my office that day. On Monday when I pulled in next to my office, I noticed the lights were on and the blinds pulled shut. Not normal. I unlocked my door and there were paper plates, cups, cake, melted ice cream, etc. I put my head into Mr. Hampton’s office and asked what happened? He replied, “DOC must have had a party in your office for your birthday!” I said, “There is still some cake do you want some?” With a straight face he looked at me and said, “No, I already had some!” and went back to work.

Another time I arrived at camp and my blinds were pulled once again! When I opened my door there was not even a paper clip on the floor! The only thing left in the room was one of them old green office chairs and a big movie camera. Hi, you are on Candid Camera! I thought my office had been moved to other rooms! No, it was removed from the building! Some of you reading this knows the story. Paul is the only one with the same office key handy.

Time to get back to kitchens. We changed the way food was served in inmate fire kitchens, ie: hair nets, serving gloves, hygiene, hot food, served breakfast, and dinner, sack lunches normally was ordered. The same year that Paul and I both promoted, Fire Control in Olympia decided that Clearwater would move the little red kitchen to Pine Lodge in Medical Lake for DNR crews to operate it there. Paul and I transported it over and helped train them to set it up. It did not set well with us and I could see a look in Paul eyes for some time. One day I was walking across the compound and I saw a Chevy Brigadier semi tractor pulling the ugliest 40-foot semi-trailer behind it. One of Paul’s assignments was working with Military surplus. DNR utilized Federal Surplus equipment in the Fire Program. One of my assignments was to inventory it. Well, that tractor pulled into Clearwater and it was Paul driving it. He parked and I asked, “what the hell is this?” He replied, “Shh… we are going to build a kitchen!” See do not upset him or your office might disappear! Working with Region Management (all the way to the Region Manager), and with the attitude of “If Fire Control does not recognize it, then there is no need to send us a kitchen if the Region has a fire!” (Remember Closets Forces?) Paul Hampton master minded and built the Olympic Region Field Kitchen. He built it out of Federal Surplus equipment, all but the power plant that powered it. Then one day Paul told me we have a gift coming and we need to get it unloaded and put it in a shed covered up. It was a brand new 15 KW Diesel generator and we need to make a phone call once we received it. Paul dialed up the number. It was Fire Control in Olympia. I recognized the voice right away; it was one of the managers at the Natural Resources Building. The voice told us, “Paul and Bill never put a state tag or federal tag on that generator, and until I am retired, you do not know where it

came from. It just showed up one day!” I know there are retired Region Accountants that cannot set still in their seats reading this. I do not believe it was ever tagged.

The first assignment for the Olympic Region kitchen was Spokane fire storm 1991, Fire Control ran out of kitchens and guess who they called on; Olympic Region needing the Region’s kitchen. Paul and I were already on other fire assignments. I was demobed from my fire and sent to the Spokane Baseball field downtown Spokane to meet up with 10 inmate kitchen workers and a Sargent from the Department of Correction, from Clearwater Camp, serving up to thousand fire fighters for 24 days. The following fire season, Fire Control and Olympic Region Manager worked together and the Kitchen was put back into rotation with the 4 other inmate fire kitchens. Remember, Fire Control in Olympia did not want us to build a kitchen and it would never be in rotation! That kitchen was in rotation for 20 plus years! It has been in the Forks Parade, Hickory Shirt days, feeding state representatives at a winery in Port Angeles (no inmates, DNR employees did the cooking). Department of Corrections both at Clallam Bay and Olympic have used it when remodeling their kitchens. Over the years it was dispatched to Oregon three times with Washington inmates, DNR staff and DOC officers. Paul promoted and moved on to the Region office. And passed the kitchen on to others, I remained with it for a couple years. Olympic Region kitchen was utilized as a stepping stone for many other Region DNR employees, developing other skills, and experiences, working in emergency management. I know of 15 plus Olympic Region employees, from office staff, heavy equipment operators, and Foresters who got involved with it. It traveled thousands of miles; it served over a million meals. It traveled from Forks to almost the California border, to Brookings Oregon, during the Biscuit Fire, one of Oregon’s largest fires. It was stationed there for 6 weeks. A picture of the kitchen was posted on the front page of the National Wildfire Magazine. Working jointly with Department of Corrections, United State Forest Service, State Parks, and Eastern Washington Weed Control Boards, Clearwater Camp took 100 inmates up Lake Chalan to pick noxious weeds. Paul, myself, and another FCS transported that kitchen, on a barge smaller than the kitchen, 56 miles up Lake Chelan to Lucerne. Once there, the kitchen tractor got stuck in the sand on the shore line. We had noticed a Caterpillar front end loader parked up the road owned by a contractor out of Port Angeles. Paul always had a Caterpillar key. Paul pulled it to safe ground where it remained for 30 days. That kitchen had to be pushed on the barge at the end of the assignment too. Paul even had to rush a DNR employee down Lake Chelan in a Boston Whaler because he got bit by a rattlesnake.

For 20 plus years that I know of, that Kitchen received National recognition, Letters of Appreciation, Certificate for Service Awards, over whelming letters from Incident Commanders and Command Staff. For 20 plus years each DNR, DOC staff, and including inmates that was involved, continued the standards of high-quality food service.

Without a dream of Paul Hampton’s, and his ability to negotiate, his positive attitude, his persistence, and his charm, and the I (we) can do attitude, none of it would have been possible. One of Paul’s legacies with the Department of Natural Resources, was the Olympic Region Field Kitchen. And he also was the master mind of the Camp sawmill.

We received a recognition once together, it read “State of Washington, Department of Natural Resources, Olympic Region, Outstanding Performance Award, in 1991, to Paul Hampton and Bill Sanders made extraordinary contributions to the accomplishments of the Region and Department in recognition of outstanding public service the 11th day of March 1992,” signed by the Region Manager. You don’t

think that was not an honor to share with a such a fine person, a friend for years? Damned right it was!!! Still hangs in a frame in my rec room. Recognize the dates?

We both knew that a Forest Crew Supervisor’s job was not a dead-end. Paul moved on in the Fire Program as the Region Fire Training Manager, and I retired from the Olympic Region as the Resource Protection and Services, Assistant Region Manager.

Paul loved watermelon so I shipped him a couple Hermiston watermelons two years ago. A life time friend and mentor, a big brother looking out for his snot-nosed younger brother. Paul made coming to work fun and there are many of you that can say the same thing!

Elsie thank you for sharing your husband Paul Hampton with me and the many others. Bless you Elsie.

Paul until we meet again, bless you and rest in peace my friend.

Due to reasons, I cannot attend his celebration of life on the 11th, however of all the people, Paul would understand. I could fill the Forks Forum with stories. But we all could! If anyone still has a good picture of the kitchen set up, share it in the Forum.

Love you Paul,

William Sanders