Mariposa Man Receives Prestigious Yosemite Award

NPS photo

Yosemite, CA – A Mariposa man is the recipient of one of Yosemite National Park’s most prestigious awards.

Jon Babcock, a 15-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been named the 2023 Barry Hance Award winner. At an all-employee ceremony held last week, park superintendent Cicely Muldoon presented Babcock with the award that was named after former park employee Barry Hance.

Babcock, who is a heavy mobile equipment operator and machine shop supervisor at the park, is praised by superiors for his “quiet leadership style, respect from his team, cooperative spirit, and dedication to the park.” His job entails maintaining over 350 vehicles, 250 plus pieces of equipment, and highly specialized park equipment such as ambulances, snow plows, rotaries, and fire engines, according to park officials. Babcock, a Mariposa native, continues to reside in Mariposa with his family.

The award is named after Barry Hance, a park employee who tragically lost his life while clearing Tioga Road in 1995.