December 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 46

Award-Winning Members

I

t's one of the great pleasures at NRPA's annual conference to recognize
agencies and individuals who stand out as truly excellent in our field. The
anticipation and excitement leading up to the various awards ceremonies
is palpable, and the joy in the faces of the winners is undeniable. Receptions at
this year's conference were no exception, as hundreds of attendees packed the
Westin Charlotte's grand ballroom to applaud their colleagues whose talent,
expertise and innovative spirits secured the following well-deserved awards.
NRPA's coveted Gold Medal Awards
await their recipients before the
October 14 ceremony in Charlotte,
North Carolina.

Gold Medal Awards
Highly coveted and respected throughout the industry, the Gold Medal
Award represents the peak national
achievement in parks and recreation,
recognizing excellence in planning, resource management and innovation.
The 2014 Gold Medal Award Grand
Plaque recipients include:
*	 Class I (population 250,000 and
over): Chicago Park District, Chicago, Illinois
*	 Class II (population 100,001250,000): City of Henderson Public Works, Parks and Recreation
Department, Henderson, Nevada
*	 Class III (population 50,001100,000): Carmel Clay Parks and
Recreation, Carmel, Indiana
*	 Class IV (population 25,00150,000): City of Kettering Parks,
Recreation and Cultural Arts Department, Kettering, Ohio
44	 Parks & Recreation

*	 Class V (population less than
25,000): City of Lafayette, Colorado
*	 Armed Forces Recreation: Morale,
Welfare and Recreation (MWR),
Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay,
Georgia
National Awards
At the Best of the Best ceremony held
October 15, NRPA recognized 10
outstanding members and agencies:
Dr. Tony Zeiss of Central Piedmont
Community College in Charlotte,
North Carolina; Tyler Nicholas Tapps
of Northwest Missouri State University; Geoffrey Godbey of Pennsylvania
State University; Jerry J. Vaske of Colorado State University; Fairfax County Park Authority of Fairfax, Virginia; DeSoto Parks and Recreation of
DeSoto, Texas; Highland Recreation
of Largo, Florida; Three Rivers Park
District of Plymouth, Minnesota; and
the City of Los Angeles Department
of Recreation and Parks of Los Angeles, California. Awards specifically
targeted excellence in citizen advocacy, youth leadership, programming,
facility and park design, marketing,
environmental stewardship, partnerships and research.
Scholarships and Fellowships
NRPA offers one fellowship and
two scholarship programs annually,

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and the 2014 recipients began their
programs while still at this year's
conference. They include: Diversity
Scholarship winners Tori Spaugh of
Raleigh, North Carolina, and James
Worsley of Columbus, Georgia; Student Scholarship winners Rebecca
Lackey of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Kendrick Mayes of Garner,
North Carolina; and Young Professional Fellows Brandon Barrow of
Las Vegas, Nevada, Gabe Huffington
of Columbia, Missouri, Errin Koon
of Parker, Colorado, and Kayode
Lewis of Medfield, Massachusetts.
Robert W. Crawford Hall of Fame
Individuals inducted into this hallowed
hall have demonstrated their lifelong
commitment to the advancement of
parks and recreation in America, and
serve as examples to future generations. This year, NRPA was honored
to welcome Thomas Hines - you can
read more about his work at www.
parksandrecreation.org/2014/September/Hall-of-Fame-Update.
Pugsley Awards
The American Academy for Park
and Recreation Administration was
also pleased to grant three Honorable
Cornelius Amory Pugsley Medals,
recognizing outstanding contributions to the promotion and development of public parks in the United
States. This year's winners were Eric
O'Brien of Medfield, Massachusetts;
James Peterson of Bloomington, Indiana; and Kathryn Porter of Mendham Township, New Jersey.
- Samantha Bartram, Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine
December 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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