It is in great sadness that the IRF announces the passing of William (Bill) Halainen on Thursday 30th January 2025 in his hometown of Milford, Pennsylvania, USA.
Our deepest and sincere condolences go out to friends, and his family; his wife Cathy, children Ethan and Daniel and sister Kathy.
Bill was a ranger with the US National Park Service (NPS) for 35 years upon his retirement in 2015. He was known in the States as the unofficial voice of the National Park Service, creating some 2500 issues of the ‘Morning Report’, a daily newsletter about developments throughout the national park system sent to park rangers nationwide. For over 30 years, the Morning Report brought a sense of community to a vast organization with rangers posted to far flung locations across the country.
Bill later carried this concept further, creating and publishing The Thin Green Line, a report sent to member ranger associations of the IRF, about world happenings affecting rangers and parks.
In May 1991, Bill represented the US Association of National Park Rangers (US) (ANPR) at the annual meeting of the Scottish Countryside Rangers’ Association – SCRA at Loch Lomond. There he met Gordon Miller of England’s @Association of Countryside Rangers (ACR), and Bob Reid of SCRA. Together they laid out plans for future cooperative efforts between them and other associations. With Bill’s extensive work with ANPR members, he brought Gordon and Bob to the states for meetings, helping garner support and funding for a world conference of rangers at Zakopane, Poland. In just over a year after his trip to Scotland, Bill helped in the creation and the establishment of the IRF. On 31st July 1992 an accord was signed by all three associations, becoming one of the three founders of the IRF.
Bill was a deep admirer of Gordon Miller, fully crediting him as ‘the founder, guiding spirit and first president of the International Ranger Federation’, calling him ‘a ranger of the world’. He was most proud of receiving the Outstanding Service Award from the IRF.
In our fondness for and in memory of both men and all they gave for rangers and the IRF, we give thanks to have known and worked with them.
(Tribute by Tony Sisto and images by Colin Dilcock)
Figure 1: Bill and Aarno Tervonen at the 8th IRF World Ranger Congress in 2016
Figure 2: Taken at the 2016 8th IRF World Ranger Congress in Estes National Park, USA in the lodge accommodation. From left to right: Deanne Adams, Tony Sisto, Cathy Halainen, Bill Halainen, Colin Dilcock, Bob Reid, Gordon Miller and Vaughn Baker.
Figure 3: Group shot of delegates at the first IRF World Ranger Congress in Zakopane, Poland, in 1995.
Figure 4: This is on the pre-congress tour before the 2016 congress when Bob Reid (Left) presented the certificates to confirm that Bill Halainen, Cathy Halainen, Tony Sisto Colin Dilcock, Vaughn Baker (and Colin Dilcock behind the camera) each own a square meter of land in the west of Scotland.
Figure 5: Bill and Cathy Halainen.
Figure 6: Bill in the Zakopane Congress office, writing the daily newsheet, that was distributed to delegates.