Humans of the Gateway Arch: Meet Linda
In our “Humans of the Gateway Arch” series, we spotlight a member of the Gateway Arch team who helps make the Arch one of the premier travel destinations in the world. The Arch’s park partners work together to attract and welcome visitors to St. Louis’ renovated urban national park, where visitors can create lasting memories and return year after year.
Meet Linda Roither, lead motion picture projectionist at Gateway Arch National Park.
Q. Describe your role at Gateway Arch National Park.
A. I am one of three staff members in the media services department who are primarily responsible for ensuring that the museum and Arch exhibits are working correctly for the public. I also run the Tucker Theater, which shows the documentary movie “Monument to the Dream” that chronicles the construction of the Arch. I have been at Gateway Arch National Park for 31 years (10 years with Jefferson National Parks Association and 21 years with the National Park Service).
Q. What’s your favorite part about working at the park?
A. My favorite part of working here is having contact with the visitors. Meeting so many unique and interesting people is a blast for me, and if I can enhance someone’s experience, either here at the park or their stay in St. Louis, then my day is complete.
Q. Do you have a favorite memory from your time at the park?
A. When I first started working here, my job was presenting programs in the museum to visiting school groups. During a program, I had one of the students, who was maybe 5, slip their hand into mine and we stayed that way for the whole program. That has stayed with me ever since, and I realized the ability I have to make a difference here with our visitors and how they trust us to take care of them while they are with us.
Q. What’s a fun fact about the Arch or Old Courthouse that people may not know?
A. The Arch is as wide as it is tall, creating an optical illusion called forced perspective. You can draw a square box around the Arch and it perfectly fits.