November 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 50

And the Award Goes to...
At the Best of the Best ceremony during the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference in New Orleans, the following park and recreation
professionals and agencies were formally recognized with awards for their outstanding work, which elevates our entire field:

National Awards
NRPA's National Awards recognize the people and
programs that best highlight the phenomenal
work being done in our field.
Robert M. Artz Advocacy Award
Cora Masters Barry, Washington, D.C.
Barb King Environmental
Stewardship Award
Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish
of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana (BREC)
Robert W. Crawford Young Professional
Award
Dr. Joshua T. Medeiros, Canton, Connecticut

Park Champion
of the Year

Robert W. Crawford
Hall of Fame

The Park Champion of the Year
Award is given to the NRPA
member who advocated for parks
and recreation and organized or
facilitated an event showcasing
his or her agency to a member of
Congress and/or that member's
staff. This year's recipient:

Established in 1987, the Robert W.
Crawford Hall of Fame recognizes
individual pioneers and leaders
who have made extraordinary
and lasting contributions to
the advancement of parks and
recreation in the United States,
as well as to the mission of NRPA.
Following is the 2017 inductee:

Som Subedi
Portland Parks & Recreation
Oregon

Clifton E. French
Three Rivers Park District,
Minnesota

National Distinguished
Professional Award
Phillip S. Rea, Raleigh, North Carolina
Excellence in Inclusion Award
Madison School & Community Recreation,
Madison, Wisconsin
Excellence in Innovative
Programming Award
Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish
of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana (BREC)

Recipients of the 2017 Gold Medal Award Grand Plaque have demonstrated
excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource
management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, programming and
professional development, and innovation. The agencies receiving this honor
include:
Class I (pop. 400,001 and over):
Johnson County Park & Recreation Board, Kansas

Facility or Park Design Award
Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department,
Terre Haute, Indiana

Class II (pop. 150,001 - 400,000):
City of Grand Prairie, Texas

RWJF-NRPA Award for Health Equity
Patricia Solano, Raleigh, North Carolina

Class III (pop. 75,001 - 150,000):
City of Roswell Recreation, Parks, Historic and Cultural Affairs, Georgia

Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for
Excellence in Recreation and Park Research
Award
Mark E. Havitz, Waterloo, Ontario

Class IV (pop. 30,001 - 75,000):
Bismarck Parks and Recreation District, North Dakota

Kudos Marketing Award
Denver Parks and Recreation, Denver, Colorado
National Partnership Award
Durham Parks and Recreation, Durham, North
Carolina

Gold Medal Awards

Parks & Recreation

Class V (pop. 30,000 or fewer):
Itasca Park District, Illinois
State Parks:
Arizona State Parks & Trails, Phoenix, Arizona
Armed Forces Recreation:
MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina

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November 2017 - Parks & Recreation

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