December 17, 2023 - Yosemite National Park officials announce the 2023 Barry Hance Award winner.
Please help us congratulate Jon Babcock, a Heavy Mobile Equipment Operator and Machine Shop Supervisor at Yosemite National Park, who is the 2023 Barry Hance Award winner. Babcock, a 15-year veteran of the National Park Service, was presented the award by park superintendent Cicely Muldoon at an all-employee ceremony on December 12th, 2023. He was lauded for his quiet leadership style, respect from his team, cooperative spirit, being easy to work with, and "leading from the front," as noted by his immediate supervisor.
Babcock supervises a complex operation that maintains over 350 vehicles, 250 plus pieces of equipment, and highly specialized park equipment such as ambulances, snowplows, rotaries, and fire engines. The annual award, the highest award a park employee can receive, is named after Barry Hance, a park employee who tragically lost his life clearing the Tioga Road in 1995.
The awardee is chosen based on who best exemplifies Barry's qualities such as a positive nature, team spirit, inspirational, and a dedication to Yosemite National Park. Babcock is from Mariposa and lives there with his family.
Source & photo: Yosemite National Park
