Kovalicky, Thomas J.
Biographical note
Thomas John Kovalicky was born in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1935, and he grew up in Clifton, New Jersey. After a brief stint in the U.S. Army, he earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Montana in Missoula in 1961. The next year, he began working for the U.S. Forest Service. In 1962 he and Gayle Crane were married. After they divorced in 1970, he was transferred from the Pinedale Forest in Wyoming to the Stanley Forest in Idaho. In 1982, he became supervisor for the Nez Perce Forest, and served in that role until he retired in 1991. In addition to his career in the Forest Service, Kovalicky was involved with multiple organizations. He served on the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board, as a national officer of the Society of American Foresters, as a board member for the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation, as director of National Smokejumpers Association, and as director of Idaho Rivers United. He also wrote 30 articles concerning resource management and employee motivation.
Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Kovalicky in his interview; “The emphasis is on what’s best for the land,” by Steve Thompson, High Country News, May 8, 2000.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Oral history interview with Tom Kovalicky
Oral history interview with Tom Kovalicky, conducted by Clark Hansen on October 21, 1999, as part of the Columbia River Dissenters Oral History Series. Kovalicky discusses his career with the U.S. Forest Service from 1962 to 1991, particularly his work as supervisor of the Nez Perce Forest in Idaho.