State Park employees honored for many years of service

Published 9:12 am Monday, February 6, 2017

Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye  Johnnie Pilk, left, and Mark Garrison, right, were recently honored by the State of Tennessee for their many years of service as employees of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. Pilk has been with the Park for 40 years while Garrison has completed 30 years of service.

Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye
Johnnie Pilk, left, and Mark Garrison, right, were recently honored by the State of Tennessee for their many years of service as employees of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. Pilk has been with the Park for 40 years while Garrison has completed 30 years of service.

State officials recently honored two employees of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park for their many years of service at the park.
Mark Garrison received a plaque honoring him for 30 years of service while his colleague Johnnie Pilk received a plaque honoring her for 40 years of working with the park.
Garrison serves as the Maintenance Supervisor at the Park and has spent all 30 of his years in state service at Sycamore Shoals. He began as a part-time employee before moving up to full-time status and eventually to the maintenance supervisor’s position.
While 30 years is a long time, Garrison said he’s not ready to retire yet.
Garrison most enjoys working outdoors and taking care of the park’s buildings and grounds. In addition to the main park campus on West Elk Avenue, Garrison also works at the park’s two satellite campuses — The Carter Mansion and Sabine Hill.
As part of the maintenance team, Garrison helps keep the park grounds looking their best while also performing maintenance and upkeep on the park’s buildings, including the re-creation of the historic Fort Watauga.
“We’ve got to do a little bit of everything,” Garrison said.
Park Manager Jennifer Bauer praised Garrison’s work to keep the park beautifully maintained.
“Mark is an exceptional employee. He is so good natured and so willing to take on any task without complaint,” Bauer said. “He’s resourceful, puts a lot of thought into everything he does, and is an amazingly hard worker.”
“He does a remarkable job, and we are so proud of him and his accomplishments,” Bauer added.
Pilk has been a member of the Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park staff since the day the park’s doors first opened to the public.
“I came here on the day it opened,” Pilk said, adding opening day was July 1, 1976.
Since that time, Pilk has served as the park’s secretary, which includes a variety of duties aimed at keeping the park operating. Pilk is in charge of payroll and employee benefits, ordering and purchasing, scheduling, managing visitor’s center employees, and maintains the rental agreements and schedules for the picnic shelter and gathering room.
“She does it all,” Bauer said of Pilk. “She is the central point of contact for all employees, guests, and visitors. She is the face of the park.”
“We’re going to miss her terribly,” Bauer added.
With 40 years of service down, Pilk has decided it is time to retire. Her last day with the park will be March 10, but the park staff will be hosting a special retirement party for her on Tuesday, March 7 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Park’s Visitor’s Center. Bauer said the party is open to the public and anyone who would like to drop by and wish Pilk well in her retirement.
Pilk said she feels God has blessed her with wonderful co-workers and exceptional bosses throughout her years at the park.
“It’s been a good 40 years,” she said. “I will miss all my co-workers, I really will. They’ve become like family to me.”

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