By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Chris Perry was born and raised in Olive Hill, Kentucky, and the Carter County man had the privilege of finding his career in a truly wonderful place… his own back yard.
Perry attended local schools and earned his degree in Public Administration from Morehead State University in 1996. It was while he was a student at Morehead that Perry first began working at Carter Caves State Resort Park, where he would ultimately become Park Manager.
“I got a job here while I was a student at Morehead,” Perry remembers. “It was at the pro shop at the old golf course. I rented the golf carts, collected the greens fees, and stuff like that. It was a good summer job for me while I was in school.”
It was upon graduation that Perry’s father introduced him in a singular manner to the realities of life beyond school and part-time jobs for pocket money.
“My dad taught me the greatest lesson I have ever learned on graduation day,” Perry said.
After the graduation ceremony Perry said he walked out to see his family and friends.
“And there stood my dad with some envelopes in his hand. I just thought that was money, gifts from aunts and uncles, and when I walked up to him and he handed me those envelopes and said, ‘You’re in the real world now. Here’s your bills.’”
Perry said the surprise and shock hit him pretty hard.
“I was supposed to be happy about graduation, and I was, but I also thought, ‘What am I going to do?’”
After a lot of thought, and a good bit of worry, Perry said he called the park manager at that time, Bob Haney.
“I asked him, ‘Bob, do you have anything so I can start paying these bills?’ He had a front desk position, and I started doing that at the lodge, working primarily as the night auditor for several years then moved up to the front desk supervisor,” Perry said.
He filled that position for around ten years, he said. Toward the end of that time, the park manager at the time, Adam Collings, passed away from a sudden heart attack. Perry said he talked to the business manager, Barney Phillips, and encouraged him to apply for the position. Phillips told Perry he didn’t want the position and encouraged Perry himself to apply for it. Perry decided with Phillips’ urging to throw his hat in the ring and has now been park manager for 12 years.
He joked that he hasn’t ever really worked anywhere but Carter Caves.
“This is the only job I have ever had,” Perry said with a laugh. “I took a little leave of absence in 1999 to do what a lot of people in Carter County did, which was try the telecommunications thing; but I found out really quick that I had made a mistake. But luckily, I was able to come back to my full-time job here, and I have been here ever since.”
Perry said that he has loved his time at Carter Caves, but his time as park manager is coming to an end the second week of September. He will be taking over as a regional park supervisor, covering the southwest of the state. The position came open due to a restructuring within the state park system. Previously it had been split into three regions, but the difficulty of supervising 44 state parks led to the creation of a northeast and a southwest region. And when those new positions came open, he applied, hoping for the northeast region. Instead, he was hired for the southwest position.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to get out, and share the things that have been successful here out west,” Perry said. “We have had such a great recreation department here and have had a lot of success putting on events, and doing different things for our guests. And Carter Caves is looked upon throughout the park system as the park for recreation. I’m very fortunate to have a great team, and I’m hoping to take some of the things they taught me to other areas.”
Even with the new position Perry isn’t leaving Olive Hill, and will remain active in the community. He said he will be able to telecommute two days per week. One day a week will be spent in Frankfort, and there will be two days each week spent traveling between the parks in his district, including two parks located on the Mississippi River.
“I’ll still be around,” he said. “I’m not giving up the school board or anything else I do, like working with tourism. I’m very committed to that and want to see that through.”
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
