March 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 22

Who, What, Where & how
-Around the Parks

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research update

Passing of a Pioneer

Mary Grogan left a legacy of
innovation and caring

he field of parks and recreation lost a major player in January with the death of Mary Grogan at the age of 82. Grogan
spent here entire 44-year career with the parks and recreation
program of the City of Modesto, California, where her work in parkland
development is still considered a model of excellence.
Grogan's first exposure to the field began in high school in Modesto.
Upon graduation from Fresno State College with a degree in physical
education, she went to work in the Modesto's parks and recreation department as a recreation supervisor. When she was appointed director of
the city's parks and recreation program
in 1963, Grogan became the first female
parks and recreation director in the
country. During her tenure, Grogan was
responsible for the acquisition of 35 park
sites. She was also the first female president of the Parks & Recreation Department of the League of California Cities
(1972 and '73) and the first female president of the NRPA (1982 and '83). Grogan
was also a co-founder of the American
Academy of Park and Recreation Administration.
In an article in the AAPRA Bulletin in 1995 three years after her retirement, Grogan listed two of her proudest accomplishments. First was
the creation of an early policy adopted by Modesto's city council that
stipulated that development of parks had to be adjacent to an elementary, high school, community college. Doing so took the politics out of
park locations and helped promote cooperation between the city and
the schools in the development of swimming pools and multi-use facilities. Secondly, Grogan pursued extensive tree plantings along Modesto
streets-a program met with considerable initial skepticism but ultimately with much admiration and respect as the trees matured. " You see the
trees, you see Mary, " said Grogan's long time friend and former deputy
city manager, Paul Baxter in the Modesto Bee.
Fran P. Mainella, an NRPA past president (1997), praised Grogan for
her willingness to mentor people as they entered the field and into NRPA
governance. " She really assisted women and had a lunch for us at each
Congress so we could stay in touch. This past year [2009] may have been
the first Congress she missed. "
In a 1992 interview with the Modesto Bee, Grogan articulated the
great pleasure her work in parks and recreation brought her.
" Every once in a while, I drive around the town and just go from park
to park, " Grogan said. " I'll see a park filled with children playing. It makes
me feel good because I realize I had something to do with that. " 

20 Parks & Recreation MARCH

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What is Fitness?
A study defines optimum health

lthough proper nutrition alone can lead to weight
loss, it doesn't necessarily equal true health or fitness,
according to a study published by American College
of Sports Medicine in the January issue of its monthly
journal.
Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D., R.D., FACSM, directed 36 overweight
(not obese) adults to participate in one of three programs during a sixmonth intervention: diet alone, diet plus exercise, or a weight maintenance program (control group). The diet-only and weight maintenance
groups were instructed not to change their physical activity regimens
during the six-month period.
Although both the diet and diet-plus-exercise groups lost weight
during the course of the study-around 10 percent of total body
weight-only the exercising individuals improved their internal fitness
in addition to their waistlines.
" We saw marked improvements in cardiovascular fitness, blood
pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels in the individuals
who regularly exercised, " Larson-Meyer said.
The study's findings closely align with ACSM's Exercise is Medicine
program, which calls on health care providers to include physical activity as a standard part of health care. Doing so, Larson-Meyer says, will
yield a far greater return than simply dropping a jean size.
" Weight loss was a nice 'side effect' for these patients-but it's the
internal health improvements that will be most important to exercisers
in the long run. "
Participants in the exercise group performed structured aerobic
exercise-such as walking, running or stationary cycling-five days
per week for around 50 minutes each session. These exercise prescriptions match ACSM's Position Stand " Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Regain for
Adults, " which recommends at least 250 minutes per week of physical
activity for weight loss.
Men in the study burned around 500 calories each exercise session
and women burned around 400-approximately 12.5 percent of their
daily caloric needs. Participants were allowed to choose their own exercise type and intensity according to what activities they enjoyed, as
long as the intensity level fell between 65 and 90 percent of their maximal heart rate, as recommended by ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise
Testing and Prescription.
Larson-Meyer says this self-selection was important, as " some
[study participants] preferred a higher heart rate and enjoyed shorter exercise sessions, while others liked a more leisurely pace-even
knowing they would have to exercise longer. "
For a complete copy of the research paper (Vol. 42, No. 1, pages
152-159), contact the ACSP department of communications and public
information at 317-637-9200 ext. 127 or 133 or www.acsm.org. 

March 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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