Profile

EDITOR'S NOTE

Profile. . . . will be a permanent column in future issues of ILLINOIS PARKS AND RECREATION. Each issue will feature a Commissioner and a Professional who has made an outstanding contribution over the years to the field of parks, recreation and conservation in Illinois.

Persons who would like to submit candidates for consideration, should direct them to the Editor, Illinois Parks & Recreation Magazine, First National Bank Bldg., Springfield, Illinois 62701. A black and white glossy picture should accompany the brief resume of each candidate.

The Editorial Committee will screen the nominations and make the final decision of which entries will be published.

A Professional . . .

Rhodell E. Owens

Rhodell E. Owens, the Dean of parks and recreation administrators in Illinois, and presently Director of Parks and Recreation for the Peoria Park District, has been actively involved in Illinois park and recreation work for the past 32 years.

He holds a B.S. Degree in Forestry Management, from Utah State and a M.S. Degree in Landscape and Recreation Management from the State University of New York at Syracuse.

During his 27 year tenure with the Peoria Park District, land holdings have increased from 1,736 to 7,400 acres, or 48 acres for every 1,000 population. The number of park users which was measured in the thousands in 1945, now registers in the millions. And the number of employees has increased from less than 100 to approximately 1,000. The annual budget increased from $250,000 to 3 1/4 million.

This enviable record was made even more impressive this past year when Peoria was named a Gold Medal winner by the National Sports Foundation.

Rhodell is recognized as a national figure in the field of parks and recreation and holds many local, state and national awards.

Since 1945 he has served as a visiting lecturer at Indiana University, Department of Recreation and Park Administration and served in the same capacity with the University of Illinois from 1960 to 1968.

A past president of the Illinois Park and Recreation Society, Rhodell is the kind of leader that any young person entering the field can look to for guidance and inspiration.

A Commissioner . . .

Joan Simon

Think about Bridge view and community service, and the first person you think of is Joan Simon.

Joan and her husband, Jim, have been residents of Bridgeview for 18 years. Being active in many youth activities, she launched a campaign in 1964 to form a park district which became a reality in 1965. She became one of the first members on the board and is still serving as secretary.

Joan was the driving force in getting programs off the ground and still assists the recreation director in some activities. The district now offers a variety of programs for all ages which was non-existing prior to the formation of the district.

In 1966, not content with providing the necessary recreational facilities and programs for her town, she attended an organizational meeting sponsored by the Bridgeview Chamber of Commerce to discuss the formation of a library.

Again, she helped pass a referendum which formed a library board, repeating the success the previous year with the park district. She became one of the first members of the library board and is currently winding up a year as President of the board.

With all her community work she still has time to attend Moraine Valley Community College where she will receive an associate degree in parks and recreation this coming fall.

The mother of three children, she is particularly proud of her oldest son, Jim, 18 who will be entering the fall class of West Point.

In addition to all this, she is in the midst of going into business by opening her own drive-in at 93rd & Cicero Avenue. Formerly a franchise stand, it has been renamed "Simple Simon's."

Illinois Parks and Recreation 2 July/August, 1972