Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 56

Above: Robin Goddard
will do a program on the
Walker Sisters.
Right: Steve Garrett takes
hold of the llamas.

LOVING THE GSMNP:

How Robin Goddard Makes a Difference
While teaching fifth graders, Robin Goddard of Maryville, Tenn.,
sometimes thought ahead to retirement and dreams of exploring
the world, learning new things and relaxing. What she didn't
envision was working just as hard and not even getting paid, but
that's exactly the path she chose when she retired in 1999 with
32 years service.
She already knew the joys of volunteering. She began donating her talents and skills in 1969 while working under the tutelage of her dear friend Elsie Burrell at Little Greenbrier School.
When she retired she became a full-time volunteer, sharing her
love of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with visitors.
Little Greenbrier School figures prominently in her schedule.
She's an interpreter there and conducts programs every Tuesday
from April to November. In addition, she does a first-person narrative as Ann Davis, one of the park's movers and shakers, at
Tremont. And then there are the programs she does throughout
the community on the Walker Sisters, who were the last residents
to live out their lives in the park.
She'll conduct a program on the Walker Sisters at this year's
Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, including her personal memories of helping the elderly sisters complete chores
at their home.
In 2013, the National Park Service honored Goddard with
the George B. Hartzog Enduring Volunteer Service Award,
recognizing her for more than 12,000 hours of outstanding
volunteer services during the past 43 years.
"It's kind of funny," she says. "You have to win the regional
award before you can win the national award. I never knew I
won the region or that I had even been nominated until I won
the national one. It means more to me than anything. I love
the park and love sharing it with visitors."
Goddard also gives nod to her husband Jim. He's a retired
civil engineer. "He makes all of the wooden signs you see in
the park. He has more volunteer hours than I do. He probably
has 14,000," she says. "He's a necessity. You'd get lost if it
wasn't for his signs." -MM

56 | BlueRidgeCountry.com

Young & Old," "Learn about Life as a Civil War
Soldier" and "Wild World of Animals: Knoxville
Zoo's Zoomobile" to name a few.
For the adults, here's a brief, random sampling
of this year's topics: "Fly Fishing the Smokies,"
"Wildflower Folklore," "Beginning Mountain
D u l c i m e r," " C r e a t i v e N a t u r e - E n h a n c e d
Photography," "A House Divided: The Civil War
in Knoxville and East Tennessee," "Advanced
Possumology" by Doug Elliott, "Learn to Play
Spoons and Washtub Bass," "Building a Backyard
Bird Habitat," "The Art of Dowsing," "Wire
Wrapping a River Stone Pendant," "Beginning
Clogging" and "Giving Bears a Second Chance."
The entire schedule is online at: mypigeonforge.
com/events/wilderness-wildlife-week/
"You can pick and choose what you want to do
and come and go as you please. You can come for
a day or two or attend all eight days," says Helton.
"Once you get people to come one time they are
hooked on it. A lot of people plan their vacation
around this week.
"I don't know of anything else like it in the
U.S.," he adds. "You'd be hard pressed to find
something like this for free. We call Ken Jenkins
the father of Wilderness Wildlife Week because it
was his idea that sparked the whole thing."
A New Home
The year 2014 is one of transition for WWW. Fear
of the event changing from its warm, cozy atmosphere has caused some regular attendees to voice
concern, but Jenkins and Helton insist the move
will maintain the spirit of the conference that
people have come to know and love.
This year marks a move into the new $50 million LeConte Events Center at Pigeon Forge. This
city-owned facility, built on an old lodge theme,
encompasses 232,000 square feet including a
100,000-square-foot exhibit hall. It officially
opened in October 2013 and also includes new

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Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014

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