Voyageurs Legacies: Audrey Chute
Audrey Chute
Photo courtesy of Mary Graves
When Voyageurs National Park was in its early years, a young Audrey Chute arrived ready to serve. Audrey began her career with the National Park Service in July 1978, starting as a clerk-typist after moving to International Falls and taking the federal civil service exam. Her work began at the park alongside the maintenance team during the earliest years of Voyageurs’ development, giving her a deep appreciation for every facet of park operations.
Audrey’s aptitude for organization and communication led her into the Superintendent’s Office, where she became the secretary to the Superintendent, ultimately serving under multiple superintendents over her long tenure. Her grasp of the park’s mission and people made her indispensable not just as a scheduler of meetings, but as the central organizer of the park’s administrative life.
Audrey was, in every sense, the gatekeeper of the Superintendent’s Office. Visiting partners, community members, and staff alike knew that to connect with leadership, they would pass through Audrey’s steady presence. She was unflappable in the face of challenging phone calls or frustrated visitors, bringing patience and professionalism to every interaction.
But her influence reached far beyond the front desk. Audrey meticulously tracked deadlines, sent reminders, and maintained a living knowledge of park projects across every division. If someone needed to know where a policy lived, what was happening on a given initiative, or who was responsible for what, Audrey already knew or she knew where to look. She built and stewarded a comprehensive library of reference documents, management policies, and plans that became a backbone of institutional memory for the park and remains even today.
One of her most enduring contributions was the way she chronicled park governance through detailed staff meeting minutes, creating an invaluable archive that today stands as a window into Voyageurs’ administrative history.
All of this excellence unfolded alongside her life as a single mother raising four daughters, a testament to her incredible work ethic. Throughout her decades of service, Audrey approached her work with a generosity of spirit and a commitment to the mission of the National Park Service that colleagues remember fondly long after her retirement in 2013.
Audrey Chute not only kept the park organized, but she helped shape its culture, preserved its institutional memory, and supported the many leaders who have guided Voyageurs National Park through its fifty remarkable years.
Check out the full list of our 50 legacies!
This year, we’re celebrating 50 years of Voyageurs National Park by sharing 50 inspiring stories of the people who shaped its legacy. Years, 50 Legacies is a yearlong storytelling series highlighting individuals whose lives are woven into the fabric of the park – whether through conservation work, cultural traditions, recreation, research, or personal connection.
Raise a canteen and celebrate this historic milestone with us at our 50th anniversary website. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more inspiring stories and updates!
