December 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 55

PERFECT ATTENDANCE
48 Congresses and counting...
HARVEY FELDMAN'S LONG RECORD of national conference attendance began inauspiciously with the National Recreation Association conference in Minneapolis in 1965. At
the time, Feldman was a recent college graduate and employed as the ﬁrst director of
parks and recreation in the town of New Hope, Minnesota. However, the Minnesota Twins
had made it to the World Series and the owner of the Hotel Leamington, who was eyeing
a future purchase of the Twins team, booted out the NRA attendees in order for the hotel
to serve as a headquarters for Major League Baseball. Attendees had to scramble to ﬁnd
new accommodations, Feldman chuckles. So why did he return 47 times?
" I'm extremely passionate about parks and recreation, " Feldman says. " My whole being
has been connected with providing quality of life experiences....I felt that the only way to
be on the cutting edge of things was to hear from people across the country about what they were doing in parks and
recreation. That's what motivated me.
" I have found friends from all over the United States throughout those years-that's your social network, if you will, "
he continues. " I found it extremely important to be on the cutting edge of things and NRPA was the place to do that. "
Perhaps his most memorable Congress was in Tampa in 2002, when he served as program chair. And he served as a
host coordinator for the 1981 and 1994 meetings, also held in Minneapolis. What makes his streak even more remarkable is that he has paid his own way for the past several years, using funds earned from his small consulting business,
Park and Recreation Consultants, LLC. Feldman is a member of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and was director of the Recreation Facilities Management Institute at the University of Minnesota. At
Congress he is often spotted with his " amigos " Ernest Burkeen and Ron Olson.
Although Feldman has some concerns about how shorter Congresses and delegates being housed over multiple
hotels may be reducing the opportunities for connection, he enjoyed the Anaheim meeting, especially Mike
Kirschman's (Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina) presentation on the calculating the economic value of open
space. And will we see him next year in Houston?
" More and more of my colleagues are retiring, " Feldman muses. " But now some of my former students are starting
to come, so we'll see. "
-Interview by Elizabeth Beard

enhance overall community operations). More than 200 agencies took advantage of the opportunity, especially
using the new 20-question QuickStart
format. Two PRORAGIS education sessions highlighted how to use the system and some of the almost inﬁnite
benchmarking applications available.

The Happiest Places on Earth
Disneyland proved to be a gracious host
for Tuesday's evening social, a highlight
of the week for many NRPA members.
Attendees had run of the full park for
two hours and then exclusive access to
Tomorrowland for another two hours.
When not zooming wildly on rocket
ships through Space Mountain or zipping down the Matterhorn's bobsleds,
attendees could enjoy several buffets
of international favorites.
Wednesday evening featured the
Best of the Best award ceremony and

reception (see National and Network
Awards on page 54), along with the
ever-popular Student Quiz Bowl, won
by the team from Cal Poly in San Luis
Obispo. The Jeopardy-style contest included raucous cheering and even bags
of popcorn.
Finally, on Thursday afternoon,
many attendees ventured off-site to see
the positive results of their avocation
ﬁrsthand at a commemoration ceremony for the new Parks Build Community playground in the East Los Angeles
neighborhood of El Sereno. The El Sereno Arroyo Playground has been selected as a national demonstration site for
the National Natural Play and Learning
Project of the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Learning Institute
of North Carolina State University. Los
Angeles Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa
was on hand to give the community their ﬁrst chance to play at the new

park, built on a formerly vacant lot as
part of his " 50 Parks Initiative " to create
50 new parks in Los Angeles.
" As a son of the East Side, I know what
it's like to grow up in a people-rich,
park-poor neighborhood, and I know
what a difference even the smallest park
can make, " said Mayor Villaraigosa. " I
couldn't be prouder that, through the
50 Parks Initiative, we are able to build
the El Sereno Arroyo Playground in
this community. "

Everything Is Bigger in Texas
NRPA prides itself on offering park and
recreation professionals the best in educational opportunities, networking,
and advancement through the annual Congress and Exposition. Attendee
feedback is being used to continue to
improve and provide the best Congress
experience. Join us next year October
8-10, 2013, in Houston, Texas.

WWW.NRPA.ORG | DECEMBER 2012 |

Parks & Recreation

December 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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