People, Places N' Things

A very elated VERONICA HEIN is congratulated by the Oak Lawn Park District Board of Commissioners at a recent meeting. An 18-year-old participant in the park district's Special Recreation Program, Hein has been chosen to compete in the 1983 Special Olympics International Games to be held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in July, 1983. During this past year, she won a combination of ten gold medals and one silver in the city and state finals, and is one of three athletes from the South Cook County area who will represent Illinois in Pentathalon events. Fifty states and twenty countries are entering the games.

Christensen

JANE CHRISTENSEN is the new Recreation Supervisor for Dundee Township Park District. She fills the position vacated by Jan Carlson, who is currently on a leave to do graduate study at Western Illinois University. Christensen is an Eastern Illinois University graduate with a major in Recreation and Park Administration. While attending Eastern, she was the President of the Student Association for Recreation, a member of Illinois Parks and Recreation Association and a Deans list scholar.

Christensen's experiences include fieldwork in Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, where she was involved in programming and leading a variety of social, athletic and cultural art programs for the special populations. This past summer she was employed as an intern at the Crystal Lake Park District.

PATRICIA H. LEONHARD, a Commissioner of the Champaign Park District and former member of the IAPD Board of Directors, has been appointed by Governor James Thompson to the nine-member Advisory Board of the Illinois Department of Conservation. Her term is for six years.

The Advisory Board operates as a sounding board to the Director of Conservation for major policy items. In addition, the Board conducts hearings for Land and Water Conservation grant requests submitted by cities and park districts in Illinois and makes recommendations to the director on awarding of such grants. It also reviews and makes recommendations on Illinois hunting and fishing dates.

Mrs. Leonhard was first elected to the Champaign Park District Board in 1961 and was elected to the IAPD Board of Directors in 1973, serving for six years. She presently is a member of the Champaign County Development Council Board of Directors. A graduate of the University of Washington (BA) and Columbia University (Ed. D.), Mrs. Leonhard is a lecturer and coordinator for the Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, U. of I.

Reiner

LARRY REINER and SUSAN JANES, Executive Director and Superintendent of Recreation, respectively, for the Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association, Elmhurst, recently received professional awards. Reiner is the 1982 recipient of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (Therapeutic Section) Mary Mette Memorial Award as Illinois Outstanding Therapeutic Recreation Professional. Reiner was recognized for "outstanding contributions to the advancement of Therapeutic Recreation in lllinois".

Illinois Parks and Recreation 38 March/April 1983

Prior to becoming NEDSRA's first Executive Director in 1977, he was Coordinator of the Maine-Niles Association of Recreation for the Handicapped, and Program Supervisor for the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association. He holds an M.S.E. degree in Outdoor Education from Northern Illinois University, where he is a PhD Candidate in Adult Continuing Education. He is also a graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. degree in Physical Education and Special Education. Reiner is a member of NRPA, NTRS, and APRS, the Illinois Park and Recreation Association, the A.A.H.P.E.R.D., and Kappa Delta Pi National Education Honor Society. He is currently also an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Therapeutic Recreation at George Williams College, Downers Grove, Illinois.

Janes

Susan Janes was named by the Illinois Park and Recreation Association as the 1982 Outstanding Young Professional in Parks and Recreation. This award recognizes professional achievement and involvement by a person having five years or less of professional employment.

Janes became NEDSRA's Superintendent in 1981, prior to which she served the agency as Recreation Supervisor since-1977. She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, with a B.S. in Therapeutic Recreation and an M.S. in Park and Recreation Administration. While at SIU, she held a graduate fellowship in the Recreation Department. Janes is a member of NRPA, NTRS, the Illinois Park And Recreation Association, and Special Recreation Associations of Northern Illinois. She is currently Director-elect of IPRA's Therapeutic Section, and was previously a Board member. In addition, she is a 1982 graduate of the National Therapeutic Recreation Management School.

ANNIE BRISKI has been appointed program supervisor for the Villa Park Recreation Department, Villa Park. Briski received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Recreation from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Her prior experiences included a student internship with the Mt. Prospect Park District, Mt. Prospect. During her internship, Briski involved herself with all aspects of Park District Management. She also assisted in organizing several special events and did publicity for the district. She also brings a

Illinois Parks and Recreation 39 March/April 1983

Brackett

Baldea

strong background in sports to the Department. Briski's primary responsibilities with Villa Park are for pre-school and children's special interest classes, youth trips and winter activities.

ROBERT G. JOHNSON, President of Illinois Lawn Equipment Inc., Orland Park, recently was presented a plaque as "Man of the Year" by the Illinois Turfgrass Foundation at the North Central Turfgrass Exposition held at the Arlington Park Hilton Hotel. He is shown with his wife, Joan, following the presentation.

3 New vacuity Members For Illinois State Univ.

The Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance of Illinois State University, Bloomington, announces the appointment of three new faculty members — Louis V. Brackett, Brian J. Baldea, and William H. Rickards.

Brackett has joined the Recreation and Park Administration faculty. Prior to this appointment he served on the faculty at Morraine Valley Community College and University of Utah as well as having been employed at a medical center. State Hospital and Mental Health Center in Utah from 1965-1974, Brackett received his B.S. and M.S. Degrees from the University of Utah, has taken graduate work at Indiana University and is now pursuing a postgraduate degree at Illinois State University. He is professionally registered with the National Therapeutic Recreation Society. He is a former member of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association Board, and now serves on two IPRA committees.

Baldea also is a new faculty member in Recreation and Park Administration. His duties include coordinating the program supervision sequence within the Recreation and Park Administration Program. Baldea received his M.S. in Leisure Studies from the University of Illinois and has begun work on an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at Illinois State University. He most recently worked as Director of the Recreation Department and Office on Aging for the city of Marshfield, WI. Baldea is a member of NPRA, IPRA, and AAHPERD, and is actively involved in community youth sports programs.

Dr. Rickards, joined the ISU Recreation and Park Administration Program in August 1981. He is assigned to the Therapeutic Recreation Sequence and is currently preparing the self-study report for the curriculum's accreditation project. Dr. Rickards' professional interests concern the role of leisure in adolescent development and treatment services and the interaction between service agencies and special needs population within the community. With degrees in Anthropology and Recreation and Leisure Studies, he completed his doctorate at the University of Illinois in 1982.

Illinois Parks and Recreation    40    March/April 1983