November 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 10

EDITOR'S LET TER

Saluting MWR
Parks and recreation reaches into almost every aspect of our lives, and plays a different
role depending on where we are in the general course of living them. For hundreds of
thousands of Americans, a period of military service may be featured in life's timeline. My
own father rarely speaks of his experiences in WWII - for which he was awarded the Bronze
Star - but says enough to indicate the experience was difficult, gruesome and harrowing.
During my own childhood, I remember Walter Cronkite's somber voice emanating from our
living room TV as he announced that day's death tolls in Vietnam.
Today's news reports of United States military action in any of several
overseas theaters lack the candid, frank delivery that Cronkite masterfully employed, but tell us enough to know that the men and women
who serve our country do so under trying circumstances at best.
Interestingly, it's the armed forces that's credited with coining the
term R&R - rest and recreation. Back in the August issue of Parks
& Recreation (http://ezine.parksandrecreation.org/HTML5/NRPA-Parks-Recreation-Magazine-August-2015), Dean Tice, NRPA
executive director from 1986 to 2001, discussed the importance of
being able to pull troops off the line and get them into a recreational
environment to help rebuild their will to live. That's where departments of Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) come in. The
park and recreation professionals who live and work at any of the
more than 6,000 military installations around the globe are tasked
with finding creative ways for their patrons to relieve stress, have fun
and stay healthy. They have become expert in cutting-edge recreational modalities - like skydiving, scuba, equestrian and boating - as well as leading intramural sports leagues, special events and camping trips. Basically, you name it, MWR does it.

PRESIDENT AND CEO
Barbara Tulipane, CAE
VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING,
COMMUNICATIONS AND
PUBLISHING, AND EDITORIAL
DIRECTOR
Gina Mullins-Cohen
gcohen@nrpa.org
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Samantha Bartram
sbartram@nrpa.org
MANAGING EDITOR
Sonia Myrick
smyrick@nrpa.org
EDITORIAL INTERNS
Catrina Belt
cbelt@nrpa.org
PUBLICATION DESIGN
Creative By Design
www.creativebydesign.net
SENIOR MANAGER OF
ADVERTISING
Dana Storm
703.858.2174
dstorm@nrpa.org
MAGAZINE ADVISORY
BOARD MEMBERS
Keith Anderson
Gerald Brown
Ernest Burkeen
Gwendolyn Chambers

On page 46 of this issue, author Elisabeth Weaver gives us an overview of how the Navy
is expanding its MWR offerings with a focus on Naval Station Great Lakes, the navy's
largest training facility, located near North Chicago in Lake County, Illinois. It's also a
model of what MWR can do for the men and women who depend on it, as well as the
surrounding community, which often benefits from MWR programs and partnerships.

Brendan Daley

Dan Dustin, Ph.D., shares his experience at a Vietnam veteran's memorial on page 52.
That relatively brief visit triggered a cascade of realizations that led Dustin to contemplate our attitudes toward our work, the impact of our work, and the meaning of our
work as park and recreation professionals.

Paul Gilbert

We know the important role parks and recreation plays in day-to-day life. In this issue, we're
reminded that the work we do supports all we touch - our children, friends, parents and the
brave women and men who make it possible for us to continue this important vocation.

Ryan Eaker
Mariela Fernandez
Robert García
Kathleen Gibi
Sandra Gonzalez
Greg Harrison
Todd Lehman
Sam Mendelsohn
Maria Nardi
Dr. Kevin Riley
Paula Sliefert
Anne-Marie Spencer
Stephen Springs

GINA MULLINS-COHEN
Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing
Editorial Director
8

Parks & Recreation

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Randy Wiger

November 2015 - Parks & Recreation

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