I had the pleasure to interview Amy Bassett, assistant director of the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development. Like many who administer the state’s tourism industry, Amy started at the bottom of the pyramid–first as a waitress, later as a ski lift operator. Before very long, her ability as a marketing administrator was apparent. It is in this capacity that she consented to be interviewed for this blog.Members of the Greatest Generation and the Silent Generation can tell you exactly where they were upon learning about the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Boomer Generation remembers its whereabouts as word of President Kennedy’s assassination became public. Similarly, Granite Staters remember the infamous day–May 3rd, 2003–when New Hampshire’s iconic Old Man of the Mountain slid off of its lofty perch, and tumbled into the talus below. On that day, Amy was working as the marketing director for New Hampshire’s Division of Parks. When the telephone rang, Amy’s initial reaction was that the caller was making a tasteless joke. Initial reaction to her own reporting of the incident was met similarly. However, one week later, she found herself working with the governor of New Hampshire to plan a big memorial service for the fallen icon. For non-residents, the reaction to this cataclysmic event may be difficult to comprehend. After all, wasn’t it was just a pile of rocks? However, for Granite Staters, the demise of the Old Man was akin to losing a dear, elderly relative . . . one who had always been there . . . one who assuredly would outlast all of us. Amy still carries the image of a woman attending the memorial service. As the latter placed a bouquet of flowers along the shore of Profile Lake, tears rained down, while those nearby joined her in expressing their anguish.
During her years of service to the state, Amy has witnessed how times of catastrophe bring the best out of New Hampshirites. For example, in August of 2011, tropical storm Irene struck with a vengeance. Because this was the peak of the state’s travel season–with peak fall foliage only weeks away–it may have been disastrous for the economy, not to mention the plans of hundreds of thousands of vacationers. Everyone, from the governor’s office to the state’s excellent highway department, responded magnificently, as the public and private sectors joined forces to clear, clean, and rebuild.
The evidence is clear: more than eleven years after its fall, the spirit that the Old Man symbolized remains alive in New Hampshire, as epitomized by Amy Bassett herself.