Doug Leen, or Ranger Doug as many now know him by, graduated with his Bachelors of Science from UW ESS (then Geological Sciences) in 1970 after serving two years in Vietnam in the United States Navy Seabees Doug joined the National Park Service after graduating and spent the next seven years as a Grand Teton National Park climbing ranger at Jenny Lake.
It was there in the park, in 1971, that his boss tasked him with cleaning out a barn, where he found an old, stained silk-screen print that read “MEET THE RANGER NATURALIST AT JENNY LAKE MUSEUM”. Appreciating the art, Doug took the print back to his cabin (that he built himself), not knowing that it was an original WPA poster art of our National Parks and that 50 years later it would represent his life’s work.
Doug, born in Bellingham, WA, was an avid Cascades climber and routinely climbed with famed Washington alpinist Fred Beckey. While pursuing his geology degree at UW, he spent several summers in the Tetons. He was interested in glacial geology, and some of his favorite professors were Dr. Stephen Porter (glacial geology), Dr. Peter Misch, and Dr. V. Standish Mallory (paleontologist and “true renaissance man”, Doug describes). In the spring of 1970, Doug was a leader in protesting the Kent State University shootings and says he appreciated that his geology professors respected his actions.
After graduating, he became a ranger at Grand Teton National Park, returning to UW after seven years, receiving a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in 1979. He practiced as a dentist for 20 years in Pike Place Market, and another 15 years as a public health dentist in rural Alaskan villages. In 2005 he spent a season as staff dentist for the U.S. Antarctic Mission.
Doug returned to his passion with a goal to “uncover the forgotten history of national park poster art created by designers and printers working for the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression” (Seattle Times). He started Ranger Doug’s Enterprises in 1993 to fundraise for the Grand Teton National Park, and the Seattle-based company now publishes 62 park designs and are planning more!
Book Release
After 30 years of research and discovery and three years of writing, Ranger Doug’s book Rediscovering the WPA Poster Art of our National Parks, with 224 pages and over 400 illustrations, plus a miniature silkscreen print of Grand Teton National Park, is available!
Please join Ranger Doug for a book signing this weekend!
- November 4, 2023 at Ranger Doug’s (Intergalactic) Headquarters, 25 Nickerson Street, Seattle WA, at 10AM-3PM
- November 5, 2023 at the Secret Garden Bookshop, 2214 NW Market Street, Seattle WA (Ballard) 3PM-5PM
Adapted from The Seattle Times article, written by Gregory Scruggs.