by Thyra Sperry
The KTA Citation Award for Lifetime Achievement is presented to a person who has made significant contributions to the preservation of hiking trails and promoting hiking in Pennsylvania.
This may be in the form of volunteer efforts, publications, field work, or any other pursuit that has furthered the mission of the KTA. Both the professional and the volunteer is equally deserving of consideration. Efforts might include trail maintenance, newsletter editor, board member, or hike leader, among others.
The first KTA Citation Award was presented to Dr. Maurice Goddard in 1963.
The 2014 Citation Award recipient, Ralph Seeley, has been active in our hiking community most of his life. Since the 1980s, his considerable achievements and leadership activities include
As an advisor, Ralph worked quietly in the background, soft-spoken, but was absolutely essential to so many facets of our trails. He was always “teaching” everyone, encouraging, and lending confidence. He has had a far-reaching rippling effect on trails and on the people who worked and/or hiked on them. He was a mentor to many club members.
In 1991, Jean Aron organized the State College Ridge and Valley Outing Club. Ralph was on the club’s first hike in April 1991 and also co-edited the club’s newsletter.
Ralph recruited students for work crews in the Hook Natural Area of Bald Eagle State Forest, the John Wert Path in Rothrock State Forest, and the Rock Run Trail in Moshannon State Forest, as well as parts of the Quehanna Wild Area.
For stream-crossing bridges, Ralph and Gert Aron worked together. One big bridge had to be preassembled by Ridge and Valley Outing Club, gluing and putting screws into the assembly so that it would be ready in time for the KTA Trail Crew to put into place.
At the same time, Ralph was always learning. His interests ranged from bridges and trails to discovering the fascinating history of the trail areas. After collecting tidbits of historical data for many years, he wrote his first book about the Quehanna in 1995.
This year, he has published a 4th edition of Foot Trails of the Moshannon and Southern Elk State Forests. Ralph is still working on a more detailed historical record about local lore. We look forward to Ralph’s next book.
It is an honor to present the 2014 Citation Award to Ralph Seeley.