Greg Petty

The Waukegan Park District announces the appointment of Greg Petry as superintendent of parks. He is responsible for managing the Parks Department, which oversees 29 park sites covering 540 acres. Petry previously worked at the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District as coordinator of park services for five years. He received a BS in physical education at Manhattan College and an MS in recreation and park administration from Pennsylvania State University.

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has presented its 1987 National Literacy Award to Dr. Joseph Bannon, chairman of the Department of Leisure Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana.

This award honors individuals, writers and publishers who have made significant contributions to creating a better understanding of the recreation, parks and conservation movement through the written word.

Michele S. Smith has recently been hired for the newly created position of senior program supervisor for the Round Lake Area Park District.

Ms. Smith brings to the district extensive experience with programming older Americans, which compliments her education in psychology and gerontology from Northern Illinois University. Her responsibilities will include expanding the daily activities which take place in the Senior Center.

Scott Hager

Scott Hager, a member of Marianjoy Rehabilitation Center's MantaRay Swim Team, received a gold medal at the International Wheelchair Swimming Competition held Aug. 11-17, 1987, in Santa Clara, CA.

The MantaRay Swim Team is comprised of paraplegic and quadriplegic swimmers who compete regionally, nationally and, now, internationally. Hager, a quadriplegic swimmer, won a gold medal in the butterfly division and a silver in a relay competition. Fellow team member, Paul Johnson, a paraplegic swimmer, received two bronze medals in a relay competition.

Hager and Johnson were asked to represent the United States at the International Wheelchair Swimming Competition held in Houston, TX. During that competition, Hager broke a national record in the butterfly division.

Gentry Davis has been promoted to the superintendency of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, IL.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 18 January/February 1988

Davis, superintendent for the past nine years at the George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, MO, assumed his new duties on August 31.

Davis began his National Park Service (NPS) career in 1970. His varied assignments have also included tours of duty at National Capital Parks, the Frederick Douglass Home and the Wolf Trap Farm Park in the Washington, DC, area; Yosemite National Park in California, and Gateway National Recreation Area near New York City.

Davis is a native of Natchitoches, LA. He was graduated in 1970 from Grambling University, where his education was interrupted by two years of U.S. Army service in South Vietnam.

Kathy J. Bartlett is the new regional director of the National Recreation and Park Association's (NRPA's) Northeast Service Center.

Ms. Bartlett served as recreation supervisor and division chair (1981-'87) at the Recreation and Parks Department in Concord, NH, and program coordinator at the Salem Recreation Department in Salem, NH, between 1979-'81.

In 1985, she received a City Council Commendation for launching a statewide festival in New Hampshire. Other honors include the Young Career Woman of the Year from the Salem Chapter of The Business and Professional Women's Club (1980), the New England Arts and Humanities Award from the NRPA (1986) and the Willie Shelnutt Program Award (1985).

Ms. Bartlett received an AA in programming and a BS in administration from the University of Maine. Her professional affiliations include the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; the New Hampshire Recreation and Parks Association, the National Youth Sports Coaches Association, and the NRPA.

Dr. George Fenstermacher, a recreation therapist with the University of Utah Medical Center, has joined Western Illinois University's Department of Recreation and Park Administration.

The Peoria Park District's original Japanese teahouse was built in 1922. Last year park employees rebuilt and repositioned a reproduction of the structure in Bradley Park. (Photo courtesy of the Peoria Park District)

Illinois Parks and Recreation 21 January/February 1988

People, Places and Things

Dr. Fenstermacher previously taught at the University of Utah, University of New Mexico and University of California at Northridge. His experience in the field includes both clinical and community-based administration.

Also joining the faculty last fall semester was Michael McGowan. He directs the department's Environmental Conservation Outdoor Education Expedition and teaches in the area of therapeutic recreation.

Richard S. Westgate, assistant professor of recreation and park administration, retired after 12 years of service to Western Illinois University (WIU).

Past chair of the Finance Section of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA), Westgate's contributions to the recreation and parks movement have been significant. He also served as district representative for the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) for several years.

Westgate was general superintendent of the Topeka Recreation Commission and deputy commissioner of the City of Philadelphia Recreation Department.

Dr. Rita M. Yerkes joins the faculty of Aurora University as the new chairperson of the Leisure and Environmental Resources Administration Division (L.E.R.A.) and as a professor of leisure studies.

Dr. Yerkes is active in many outdoor and environmental education associations. She is the chairperson of the National Council on Outdoor Education and a board member of the Association for Experiential Education. She has been involved in the formation of the National Coalition for Education in the Outdoors.

Dr. Yerkes holds a B.A. in health, physical education and recreation from the University of Kentucky; an M.A. in adapted physical education from the University of Missouri, and an Ed.D. from Northern Illinois University in elementary education/outdoor education. Prior to joining the faculty at Aurora University, Dr. Yerkes taught at State University of New York at Cortland, Miami University of Ohio and Towson State University.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 35 January/February 1988