December 2009 - Parks & Recreation - 18

Who, What, Where & how
-Around the Parks

The Noble Experiment
Writing the first history of the National Recreation & Park Association
held many surprises and lessons for co-author Karla Henderson.

en years in the making, The Noble Experiment chronicles
the first 40 years of the National Recreation and Park Association. Numerous individuals and committees of the association worked behind the scenes to ensure its launch and to
encourage its completion. H. Douglas Sessoms and Karla Henderson undertook the research and writing of the 132-page book as
a labor of love on behalf of field of parks and recreation.
Sessoms, who died just before publication of The Noble Experiment, served
as president of the Society of Park and
Recreation Educators, the Academy of
Leisure Sciences, and the American
Academy of Parks and Recreation Administrators-in addition to his many
years teaching at the University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill. Henderson is a
professor in the Department of Parks,

Recreation and Tourism at North Carolina State. She is the author of numerous
books and articles and the recipient of
many professional awards.
Sessoms and Henderson trace the
beginning of the NRPA with the 1965
merger of the National Recreation Association, American Institute of Park Executives, American Recreation Society, and
the National Conference on State Parks.

Henderson, describes the formation of
the NRPA as an experiment. " Associations do not form from a merger of several groups with similar and yet disparate
goals and membership compositions, "
she writes in the introduction. In this interview with Parks & Recreation magazine, Henderson discusses the nature of
undertaking The Noble Experiment and
what it means for the field today.

P&R: How did The Noble Experiment
come about?
KH: It came about because of the numerous changes in society during the
1950s and into the '60s -the Civil Rights
movement and a growing awareness of
environmental issues. People became
more mobile and demanded opportunities for their leisure/recreation. The

Great Moments in Parks & Recreation
1821-25

1898

1887†

Beginnings of physical
education, Salem and
Northampton, Mass.

Settlement House movement
starts in New York City;
1889 Jane Addams opens
Hull House in Chicago, Ill.

American Institute of Park
Executives (AIPE) established

√1905
U.S. Forest Service
established

1906
Playground Association of
America (PAA) established

1907
First Play Congress is
held in Chicago

1892®

1853π
Central Park in New York
City created, designed
by Olmstead and Vaux

Sierra Club
established
by John
Muir

1910®
The father
of the
playground
movement,
Joseph Lee,
is elected
President of

1867
Fairmont Park in
Philadelphia created

16 Parks & Recreation

DECEMBER 2009

www.NRPA .ORG

Playground and Recreation
Association of America

1911
National Education
Association proclaims
leisure an educational
concern and recommends
the use of school grounds
for recreation purposes.

1916®
National
Park Service
established

1921
National
Conference
on State
Parks
established

December 2009 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2009 - Parks & Recreation