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Donald F. Bresnan
Commissioner Scholarship Fund
A Legacy of Service
In the fall of 2000, the Illinois Association of Park Districts Board
of Directors established the Donald F. Bresnan Commissioner Scholarship Fund to recognize Don Bresnan's 36-year legacy of volunteer
service to parks and recreation. The fund will provide educational
scholarships to individuals who have not had an opportunity to
participate in IAPD board training programs and who lack adequate finances.
Advocating Commissioner Ecducation
Don Bresnan (1922-1999) was known as "Mr. Commissioner." His
leadership on the board of the Champaign Park District set
nationwide standards for intergovernmental cooperation and
boardmanship. Bresnan believed that an educated board member is
a better board member. He was a tireless "networker" among
commissioners. He was a featured speaker at more than 20 IAPD
Commissioner Seminars and hundreds of national meetings for
parks and recreation. In that same spirit, the Donald F. Bresnan Commissioner Scholarship Fund encourages commissioners who need
financial assistance to apply for an educational scholarship.
Who Can Apply for a Scholarship?
Commissioners from IAPD member agencies who need financial
assistance can apply for one scholarship per year to attend one of
the following:
• IAPD Legislative Conference
• IAPD Commissioner Seminar
• IAPD Legal Symposium
• IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference
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Donald F. Bresnan
1922-1999
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Don's advice for
new commissioners:
"In the beginning, I learned from others. That's how we built our park district. By going to meetings and hearing what others were doing an bringing it back home and trying it. A lot of it worked for us, too."
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About the Scholarship Fund and Fund-raising Committee
Regina Glover, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Health, Education and Recreation at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, is Bresnan's daughter and the Honorary Chair of the Donald F. Bresnan Commissioner Scholarship Fund. With a
lead gift of $2,500 from the Champaign Park District, fund-raising will be guided by a committee comprised of: Mike
Cassidy, Commissioner, Freeport Park District; Ralph Cianchetti, former Commissioner for the Park District of Highland
Park and NRPA Trustee; Bob Espeseth, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois; Joyce Clark Commissioner, Park
Ridge Recreation and Park District; Bob Toalson, former General Manager, Champaign Park District; Ted Flickinger,
Executive Director, Illinois Association of Park Districts; and John Comerio, Development Director, Illinois Association
of Park Districts.
--See pages 10 & 11 for more information --
January/February 2001 / 9
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Donald F. Bresnan
Commissioner
Scholarship Fund
Application Information
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The purpose of the Donald F. Bresnan Commissioner Scholarship Fund to offer
educational scholarships to individuals
who have not had an opportunity to
participate in board training programs
due to lack of finances. The fund assists
agencies that need financial assistance in
sending commissioners to board training
programs sponsored by the Illinois
Association of Park Districts (IAPD).
An educated board member is a
better board member, and board
member training is a legitimate park
board expense.
All secured funds for the Donald F. Bresnan Commissioner Scholarship Fund
be placed in an interest-bearing account
dedicated for board member scholarship
purposes.
Selection criteria for application to the
scholarship fund are:
• An applicant must be a current elected
official or an appointed board member
with an IAPD member agency.
• An applicant must submit a typed explanation
of the need and the use of the scholarship.
• An commissioner will be limited to one
scholarship per year, and shall not exceed three
consecutive years.
• Upon completion of the educational program,
the scholarship recipient must prepare a brief
summary of how they benefited from the
program and, within two weeks, submit this
report to IAPD.
• The scholarship recipient must also provide a
copy of the educational materials to each of their
board members.
• Applications are to be sent to IAPD for
review, screening and submittal to the IAPD
Honors and Resolutions Committee for final
selection.
• IAPD shall notify successful applicants.
The educational programs available for
scholarships will include:
• IAPD Legislative Conference - 1
scholarship available per year; full
registration for one board member;
application deadline - March 1st
• IAPD Commissioners Seminar - 4
scholarships available per year; full
registration for one board member;
application deadline-August 1st
• IAPD Legal Symposium - 1
scholarship available per year; full
registration for one board member;
application deadline - October 1st
• IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference - 1
scholarship available per year; full
registration for one board member;
application deadline - November 1st.
Scholarships are for the cost of the
education program. Travel and lodging
are not included in the scholarship.
Donations to the Donald F. Bresnan Commissioner Scholarship Fund are tax
deductible to the extent allowed by law.
10 / Illinois Parks and Recreation
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"Don Bresnan spent nearly half of
his life trying to make Champaign
Park District a community asset
that was well-run and well-used.
He succeeded on both counts."
— Champaign News-Gazette
"My dad showed me the
importance and value of getting to
know people across the state and
country and being involved in
state associations such as IAPD."
— Regina Glover, Ph.D.,
Bresnan's daughter and Chair of
the Dept. of Health, Education
and Recreation, Southern Illinois
University Carbondale
"He was very demanding that our
parks be the best."
— Robert
Toalson,
former General
Manager, Champaign Park
District
"For the Illinois Association of
Park Districts, Don Bresnan was a
tireless advocate and a respected
leader, as well as a teacher, mentor
and very good friend."
— Ted Flickinger, Executive
Director, IAPD
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About Donald F. Bresnan
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Donald F. Bresnan was elected to the
Board of Park Commissioners of the
Champaign Park District in 1963 and served
its citizens with remarkable ability for 36
years. His wisdom and leadership set
nationwide standards in the park and
recreation field, particularly in the areas of
boardmanship and intergovernmental
cooperation.
Bresnan's determination was the driving
force behind the growth and development
of the Champaign Park District from an
ordinary collection of undistinguished
playgrounds with few recreational facilities
to its present rank among the best in the nation
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Don Bresnan, a teacher and mentor at many
IAPD commissioner seminars.
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The district earned NRPA's National Gold Medal
award three times under Bresnan's tenure on the
board. In 1984, the park district renamed its
administrative offices in honor of Bresnan's
service to the district, the community, and parks
and recreation nationally.
He served as president of the IAPD in 1969. In
1983, he was the recipient of the Allan A.
Weissburg "Commissioner of the Year" Award from the Illinois Association of Park
Districts. Bresnan was a featured speaker at more than 20 IAPD Commissioner
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Seminars and is legendary for mentoring and educating board members.
At the national level, Bresnan was past president of the National Recreation and
Park Association (NRPA) Citizen-Board Member Branch. He served on NRPA's
Board of Trustees from 1978 to
1999, and held the offices of
Treasurer and Vice Chairman. In
recognition of his contributions to
the field, Bresnan was elected to a
select group of 14 NRPA Life
Trustees, which include Lawrence S.
Rockefeller; Harry Haskall, Jr.,
former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare; and Anne S. Close,
Chair of the Board of the Springs
Foundation and the Springs
Corporation.
Bresnan also was a popular
speaker at park and recreation
meetings throughout the United
States and Canada. He co-authored
The Story of CBM - The First 25
Years and, with his daughter Regina
Glover, a publication entitled How
To Survive as a Park and Recreation
Board Member.
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January/February 2001 / 11
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