04/13/2023: Alfred Runte

An internationally recognized expert on national parks and railroads, Alfred Runte is based in Seattle, Washington. He was an adviser to the Ken Burns PBS documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, and appeared in all six episodes of the Emmy Award-winning series. Runte has also been a guest on Nightline, The Today Show, 48 Hours, the History and Travel channels, and speaks frequently in public forums on the need to protect our parks. His books include Trains of Discovery: Railroads and the Legacy of Our National Parks; Yosemite: The Embattled Wilderness, and the fifth edition of his critically acclaimed National Parks: The American Experience. In April 2011, Runte was elected to membership in the College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame at Illinois State University (his master’s degree institution) “in recognition of exemplary achievement” as a teacher and public scholar. He also holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton (now Binghamton University) and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. *** Eccles APEX Website: https://www.suu.edu/apex