December 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 67

National Recreation Foundation, provided
the start-up resources necessary to organize a task force and hold the first accreditation development meeting at Michigan
State University in 1989.

Not a Party Girl
Everyone agrees that the workhorses of
the Michigan State meeting were Professor Lou Twardzik and his colleague Betty
van der Smissen. Twardzik and especially
van der Smissen eventually invested thousands of hours in writing the standards
which formed the outline of the program.

City of South Bend South
Bend Parks and Recreation
Department, IN
Fort Knox Directorate Family
& Morale, Welfare and
Recreation, KY
Hilton-Parma Recreation
Department, NY
Lexington-Fayette County
Division of Parks and
Recreation, KY
Louisville Metro Parks and
Recreation Department, KY
City of Bakersfield Recreation
and Parks Department, CA
City of Bismarck Parks and
Recreation District, ND
City of Durham Parks and
Recreation Department, NC
City of Green River Parks and
Recreation Department, WY
City of Houston Parks and
Recreation Department, TX
City of Orange Beach Parks and
Recreation Department, AL
City of Roanoke Parks and
Recreation, VA
Fairfax County Park Authority, VA
Metropolitan Park District of the
Toledo Area, OH
Oak Lawn Park District, IL
City of Atlanta Department of
Parks, Recreation & Cultural
Affairs, GA
 City of Glendale Parks and
Recreation, AZ
City of Golden Parks and
Recreation Department, CO
	

" If it weren't for those two, I doubt if
the program would be as strong or high
quality, " says Vern Hartenburg, a member
of the original task force and past commissioner. " For Lou, it was truly his personal and professional passion to create an
accreditation program. Betty was a writer
extraordinaire. She had a way with words.
She wasn't much of a party girl-she never
went to lunch with us but would stay and
work. At night when we went to dinner,
she would go to her room and write. They
were the tireless guiding lights that gave
birth to this. "

City of Hillsboro Parks and
Recreation Department, OR
City of Logan Parks and
Recreation Department, UT
City of Round Rock Parks and
Recreation Department, TX
City of Wellington Parks and
Recreation Department, FL
Dearborn Recreation
Department, MI
Mecklenburg County Park and
Recreation Department, NC
Seminole County Leisure
Services, FL
U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii
FMWR Community
Recreation Division, HI
City of Coppell Parks and
Recreation, TX
City of Dublin Parks and
Recreation, OH
City of Hollywood Department
of Parks, Recreation &
Cultural Arts, FL
City of Oakland Park Parks
& Leisure Services
Department, FL
City of Plymouth Parks and
Recreation Department, MN
City of Sioux Falls Parks and
Recreation, SD
City of St. Petersburg Parks and
Recreation Department, FL
City of Tucson Parks and
Recreation Department, AZ
City of Winter Park Parks and
Recreation Department, FL
Minneapolis Park and
Recreation Board, MN

Cochran describes an early meeting
at the Michigan State student union. The
meeting representatives had spent the
day writing and discussing dozens of standards on large pieces of paper. After hours
of debate and arguing, the walls of the
room were completely plastered in paper.
" We were exhausted, but we told ourselves we had a great day, " Cochran relates.
" Then the next day we came back and the
room was completely empty-not a single
piece of paper remained. Lou runs down the
hall and found the janitor. He found most of
the stuff stuffed into garbage bags. "

City of Chesterfield
Department of Parks and
Recreation, MO
City of Jacksonville Department
of Recreation & Community
Services, FL
Fall 2011
Accreditation
Hearings
Preliminary
Applicant
Agencies

County of San Diego Parks and
Recreation, CA
City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and
Recreation Department, FL
City of Miami Parks and
Recreation Department, FL
City of Tampa Parks and
Recreation, FL
The Villages Community
Development Districts, FL
City of Davenport Parks and
Recreation, IA
Naperville Park District, IL

5-Year
Accreditation
Review
City of Cincinnati Recreation
Commission, OH
City of Boynton Beach
Recreation and Parks
Department, FL
City of Greensboro Parks and
Recreation, NC
City of Little Rock Parks and
Recreation Department, AR
Town of Herndon Parks and
Recreation Department, VA
Richland County Recreation
Commission, SC
City of Grove City Parks and
Recreation Department, OH
10-Year
Accreditation
Review
City of Coral Gables Parks and
Recreation Department, FL
Lee County Parks and
Recreation, FL
15-Year
Accreditation
Review
City of Kettering Parks,
Recreation and Cultural Arts
Department, OH
City of Germantown Parks and
Recreation, TN

Clayton County Parks and
Recreation, GA

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