Awards & Recognition

2008 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management

Presented by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with NRPA.

Sponsored by Musco Lighting, LLC

Please look below for the finalists in the Gold Medal Awards!

The Gold Medal Grand Plaque recipients are announced at the Opening General Session
Wednesday, October 15
8:30 – 10 a.m.

    Categories:
  • Class I – Population more than 250,000
    • BREC, The Recreation and Park Commission of East Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA
    • Ft. Worth Parks and Community Services, Ft. Worth, TX
    • City of Las Vegas Leisure Services Commission, Ft. Worth, TX
    • Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation, Lawrenceville, GA
  • Class II – Population 100,001 – 250,000
    •  South Suburban Park and Recreation District, Centennial, Colo. 
    • Richland County Recreation Commission, Columbia, SC 
    • Pleasure Driveway and Park District, Peoria, Ill
    •  City of Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, TX
  • Class III – Population 50,001 – 100,000 
    • Arlington Heights Park District, Arlington, Ill. 
    • Canton Leisure Services, Canton, Mich. 
    • City of Waukesha Parks, Recreation and Forestry, Waukesha, Wis.
    • Hoffman Estates Park District, Hoffman Estates, Ill.
  • Class IV – Population 25,001 – 50,000 
    • Carol Stream Park District, Carol Stream, Ill.
    • Elmhurst Park District, Elmhurst, Ill. 
    • St. Charles Park District, ST. Charles, Ill.
    • Town of Castle Rock Parks and Recreation Department, Castle Rock, Colo.
  • Class V – Population 25,000 and Less 
    • Batavia Park District, Batavia, Ill. 
    • Town of Herndon Park and Recreation, Herndon, Va. 
    • Sterling Park District, Sterling, Ill.
    • Vernon Hills Park District, Vernon Hills, Ill.

Judges for the 2008 Gold Medals are nationally recognized authorities in park and recreation management. This year’s judges include:

  • Head Judge: Kaj Dentler, Deputy Town Manager, Town of Leesburg, Leesburg, Va.

  • Head Judge Elect: Lori Daniel, Manager of Recreation Services, Aurora, Colo.

  • Judge: Phil Hester, Director of Parks, Recreation and Marine, Long Beach, Calif.

  • Judge: Jane Hodgkinson, Executive Director, Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, Carol Stream, Ill.

  • Judge: Rhonda Parker, Parks and Recreation Director, City of Durham North Carolina, Durham, N.C.

2008 American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA)/Gold Medal Liaison: Christopher Jarvi, Associate Director, Partnerships, Interpretation/Education, Volunteers, National Park Service, Washington, D.C.

The American Academy for Park and Recreation (AAPRA) is a non-profit organization founded to advance knowledge related to the administration of recreation and parks; to promote broader public understanding of the importance of parks and recreation to the public good; and to contact research, publish scholarly papers, and sponsor seminars related to the advancement of park and recreation administration.

National Awards

Honor the best in parks and recreation at the 2008 NRPA National Awards Ceremony during the Opening General Session
Wednesday, October 15
8:30 – 10 a.m.
    National Award recipient categories
  • Distinguished Professional
  • National Humanitarian
  • Corporate Humanitarian
  • Media Excellence
  • National Voluntary Service Award
  • Robert W. Crawford Young Professional Award
  • The Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research
  • The Recognition of Significant Efforts (ROSE) Awards
    Dorothy Mullen Arts and Humanities Award Winner Categories
  • Class I – Population More Than 500,000
  • Class III – Population 75,000 – 199,999
  • Class IV – Population 25,000 – 74,999
  • Class V – Population 25,000 and Less
    Kudos Marketing and Communication Award Categories
  • Best Overall Communicator (Population Less Than 100,000)
  • Best Overall Communicator (Population More Than 100,000)
National Congressional Award