December 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 58

nrpaupdate
They have the Golden Touch!
Gold Medal Grand Plaque Recipients

T

HE RECIPIENTS of the National Gold Medal Grand Plaque
Awards for Excellence in Park
and Recreation Management were announced at the 2012 NRPA Congress
and Exposition Opening Session. This
was the inaugural year for a new award
category honoring Armed Forces Recreation, presented by General Tommy
Franks to the ﬁrst recipient. This year's
proud recipients are:
■ Armed Forces Recreation Award:
Morale, Welfare and Recreation
(MWR) Department, Naval Station
Great Lakes, Illinois
■ Class I (population 250,000 and
over): Mecklenburg County Park
and Recreation Department,
Charlotte, North Carolina
■ Class II (population

100,001-250,000): Rockford Park
District, Illinois
■ Class III (population 50,001-
100,000): James City County Parks
and Recreation Department,
Williamsburg, Virginia
■ Class IV (population 25,001-
50,000): Town of Castle
Rock Parks and Recreation
Department, Colorado
■ Class V (population less than
25,000): Durango Parks and
Recreation Department, Colorado
Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal
Awards program honors communities
throughout the United States that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning,
resource management, volunteerism,
environmental stewardship, program

Gen. Tommy Franks presents
the ﬁrst-ever Armed Forces
Recreation Award to the
Morale, Welfare, and
Recreation Department, Naval
Station Great Lakes, Illinois.

development, professional
development, and agency recognition. Agencies are judged on their
ability to address the needs of those
they serve through the collective energies of citizens, staff, and elected
officials.
For more information on the Gold
Medal Awards, go to www.nrpa.org/
awards or www.aapra.org.

Pugsley Medals Awarded

T

HE AMERICAN ACADEMY for
Park and Recreation Administration awarded prestigious
Pugsley Medals to three park and recreation leaders: Pete Dangermond of
Newcastle, California; Roger K. Brown
of Greensboro, North Carolina; and
Joe Crookham of Oscaloosa, Iowa. The
Honorable Cornelius Amory Pugsley
Medals recognize outstanding contributions to the promotion and development of public parks in the United States.
For more than four decades, Dangermond has worked diligently in acquiring and protecting land for park
systems, land trusts, state conservancies, and various governmental jurisdictions through purchases,
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Parks & Recreation

conservation easements, and dedications. During Brown's 38 active years
in the ﬁeld of parks and recreation, he
served as the director of seven park
and recreation departments and developed a new district for a large urbanized and unincorporated area in
Clackamas County, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. Owner and founder of
Musco Lighting, Joe Crookham is a
well-known advocate for parks and recreation and pioneered technology to allow lighted recreational sports facilities
to be more compatible in residential areas. He also sponsors the national Gold
Medal Awards for excellence in parks
and recreation.
The Pugsley Award is presented by

| DECEMBER 2012 | WWW.NRPA.ORG

2012 Academy President Lori Daniel,
Pete Dangermond, Joe Crookham,
Roger Brown, and Fran Mainella,
Pugsley Committee chair.

the American Academy for Park and
Recreation Administration, in partnership with the National Park Foundation
and the Davey Tree Expert Company.
More complete biographies and more
information on the Pugsley Award, its
history, and a complete list of winners
are available on the academy's website
at www.aapra.org.
December 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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