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Oldest Living Park Ranger to Light National Christmas Tree



As if being a park ranger wasn't already the coolest gig in the world, Betty Soskin, the oldest full-time park ranger in the country, will do the honors of lighting the National Christmas tree at the White House, officially upping the cred of an already incredible job.

The 93-year-old Soskin, who's an interpretive ranger at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historic Park in Richmond, California, will also introduce President Barack Obama at the Dec. 3 ceremony.

Soskin worked as a clerk for the Boilermakers Union during World War II and was involved in the early planning stages of the Rosie the Riveter Historic Park, which memorializes the role of women on the home front during the war.

Soskin has been employed at the park since it opened in 2000, and gives tours explaining the park's history, purpose and the museum's numerous collections.

The first lighting of the National Christmas tree took place two years after Soskin's birth in 1923, and this year's official souvenir ornament commemorates the very first National Christmas tree, which was lit under the presidency of Calvin Coolidge.

Entertainment for the ceremony includes Crosby, Stills and Nash, Andra Day, and the United States Coast Guard Band.

For more information on the 93rd annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, visit Recreation.gov.

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