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John Latschar

As many of you are now learning John Latschar resigned as superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park.  You can read the story here.  What follows is my first video blog in which I offer some final thoughts about yesterday’s post.  It is meant to clarify some of my remarks, specifically in response to Eric Wittenberg’s initial comment.  Things did get a bit heated yesterday and I want to extend an apology to Eric for my choice of words in response to his comment.  I hope the video helps to explain the emotion behind my response.  Eric and I may not agree on much of anything, but the one thing we do agree on is that, if it comes to it, our Phillies are going to kick the crap out of Brooks Simpson’s Yankees.

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You heard it here first.  According to an NPS press release John Latschar has decided to stay on after learning from the Department of the Interior that his ability to continue to work with the park as the president of the Gettysburg Foundation would be severely curtailed.  This conflict of interest was mentioned by a number of people in the blogosphere, but it is encouraging to know that Latschar will be able to stay on indefinitely in his current position at Gettysburg.  Latschar had this to say:

I had been looking forward to the challenges of moving to the private sector and working for the Gettysburg Foundation.  However, I can’t complain about going back to the best job in the National Park Service as Superintendent of Gettysburg NMP and Eisenhower NHS.  We’ll now redouble our efforts to make our wonderful partnership with the Gettysburg Foundation the best that the National Park Service has ever seen.

Latschar is responsible for some of the most significant changes to the Gettysburg landscape, including new view sheds as well as a state-of-the-art visitor center.  The future does indeed look bright under Latschar’s stewardship.

Update: Looks like the crazies [check comments] are once again coming out of the wordwork to voice their displeasure.  Art Bergeron has left a comment over at Eric Wittenberg’s blog indicating that Latschar may have asked for the ethics review.  If true, it should stifle the crazies who have assumed the worst about Latschar’s character throughout this transition.

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More on John Latschar

There is no one I respect more in the NPS than John Hennessy, who is chief historian at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. John offered the following as an assessment of Latschar’s tenure at Gettysburg. You will notice that his observations stand in sharp contrast with the comments found over at [...]

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Congratulations John Latschar

John Latschar has accepted a position as the next president of the Gettysburg Foundation after 14 years with the NPS.  During that time he has overseen major changes to the battlefield, including the demolition of the national tower and landscape rehabilitation.  His most important project was the planning and completion of a new state-of-the-art visitor [...]

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