January 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 51

Looking Back to
NRPA's Beginnings

s NRPA begins its 50th
anniversary year, we
take time to reflect on
the first half-century of
our existence while looking forward
to the future. To help showcase our
journey, the editorial staff will look
at one issue from our archives each
month for the rest of 2015.
The June 1966 issue shown here
is the sixth issue of Parks & Recreation magazine in its current form,

although as the cover explains, it
combined four related magazines
that existed before the five organizations that joined to form NRPA
merged in 1965. The content shows
that park and recreation professionals dealt with the same issues then
as our members do now, with headlines such as " Your Turfgrass Headache: What Variety " and " Unique
Answer to Urban Sprawl Problem "
jumping out from the table of contents. Other articles showcase how
the field of parks and recreation has
evolved over the past half-century;

this issue's cover story, " Why Have
A Zoo?, " looks into the now-rare
combination of zoos and municipal parks, while " Teenagers Provide
Recreation for the Mentally Retarded " showcases how special-needs
recreation has always been a focus
for our members, albeit using different language today.
Most tellingly, the opening editorial by Conrad Wirth, then the
vice-chair of NRPA's Administrative
Board, outlines his wish for the association's future.
" In closing, I wish to say, in as few
words as possible, what I hope the
National Recreation and Park Association will accomplish. I want it to
foster: excellence in park and recreation administration; a demand by
the public for an adequate national system of parks and recreation
areas at all levels of government;
provisions for advanced research;
planning to improve parks and recreation facilities to meet the public's
requirements; public realization of
human environmental requirements;
a strong human protective instinct for
resource use and preservation; and
the establishment of a high standard
of excellence in professional ability
and accomplishments. "
Half a century later, it's encouraging to see that the NRPA's objectives remain the same and that great
strides have been made for the field
in the areas Wirth mentions. We
hope our founders would be pleased
with all that has been accomplished
and the work we continue to do.
- Danielle Taylor, Executive Editor
of Parks & Recreation magazine

Grow Your
Park Feeds
Thousands

ere's some good news
from NRPA and our
friends at the Darden
Foundation: The 2014
Grow Your Park grants have been a
resounding success! The 15 grant recipients across the country have seen
some great combined results, and we
have the numbers to prove it. Since
receiving the grants, which provide
financial support for agencies to establish gardens for members of their
communities who are interested in
access to fresh, healthy foods, recipients have gleaned 23,192 pounds of
produce, with 9,947 pounds donated
directly to local pantries and soup
kitchens. In addition, 9,922 low-income families received fresh produce
from the gardens, and more than
10,000 people participated in various
Grow Your Park programs. Congratulations to all who have helped, and
keep up the good work! For more
information about Grow Your Park,
visit www.nrpa.org/garden.
- Marissa Bracamonte, Editorial Intern for Parks & Recreation magazine

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Parks & Recreation

January 2015 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2015 - Parks & Recreation