Roll of Honor
James Randall Morgenson
Incident
Park Ranger James (Randy) Morgenson drowned after being swept over a waterfall while on a backcountry patrol in the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, California. Other rangers began to search for him after he failed to check in with dispatch at the regular time following the first day of the patrol.
Despite an exhaustive search, his remains were not found until July 2001, nearly five years after he went missing. The investigation indicated that he likely fell through a snow drift and broke his leg while crossing a creek, dying of associated injuries and hypothermia. His remains were washed down the creek and into a small cascade where they were hidden in the rocks for years.
Ranger Morgenson had served with the National Park Service for 27 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-742A0A02- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
27 years. You could have gone home.
Park Ranger Morgenson gave the United States Department of the Interior 27 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Park Ranger Morgenson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Park Ranger James Randall Morgenson is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service, 28 of 40 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 70% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Randall Morgenson's cause is highlighted.
How James Randall Morgenson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Randall Morgenson is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
39 officers from United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
