Never Be an End.
by Dr. Jay Richard Akkerman
G. Arthur Janssen frames it well: "They are spread out from Alaska to the Virgin Islands, Maine to Hawaii. They cover the gamut of national parks, monuments, a seashore, parkways, memorials, a preserve, a battlefield, recreation areas, historical parks, historic sites, three administrative offices, a couple of state parks, a city park and two schools. They are in sixteen UNESCO biosphere reserves. They are in eleven world heritage sites. They are a bit of history; they are a present reminder; they are a challenge for our future. Visiting them is a journey… they are America at her best."
Janssen is describing something called "Mather Plaques." If you're a national park enthusiast, you may have seen them. Then again, perhaps not. It all depends on where you've been and how attentive you were. Some are posted prominently in plain sight, while other plaques are squirrelled away in obscure, almost clandestine places.
Each of these 87-pound bronze plaques honors Stephen Tyng Mather (1867-1930), a self-made California millionaire and the founding director of the National Park Service. After a dozen years...
