Well, since I'm no longer active in the railroad restoration field, and doubt I ever will be again, I can publicly say that Dennis was a Menace. Back when I was being interviewed by Granite Rock to spearhead the #6 restoration, I was asked by one of the CSRM shop workers if I could handle a management person who would at times go off and throw stuff, sometimes towards a worker.
Funny thing about that interview; GR was looking for a project manager, so went to the interview, which was at the unit shop, in a suit & tie. One of the comments I was given afterwards was; "They wanted a more "hands on" guy." Here I was trying to make them think I was a "management type" when I'm really more of a "let's dig in and get this done" type.
One should never alienate experienced volunteers; granted one might have to "guide" them a bit to be more safety conscious and to document nearly everything they do, but they need to be assured that they are appreciated, and their sometimes clever solutions to problems are acknowledged.
BTW, I ended up being the curator for the City of Oroville's five museums which have a wonderful group of docents with lots of passion for what they do. I'm still in touch with many of them, and they are presently doing the curating themselves, the city having decided they couldn't afford to keep a curator on staff.