Toalson Named "Most Valuable Citizen"
Robert Toalson, general manager of the Champaign Park District, received the 1999 Champaign County Most Valuable Citizen Award for his tremendous 30-year dedication to the quality of life of the citizens of Champaign County. Instituted in 1992, the award recognizes outstanding contributions of individuals in Champaign County and an ongoing commitment to the community and its development. Toalson is credited for "putting Champaign's parks and recreation programs on the map—locally, regionally, nationally and internationally." For the University of Illinois, he served on the Advisory Committee of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Site Planning Committee for the Arboretum, and was a visiting lecturer. He also served on the Illinois Lieutenant Governor's Committee on Open Space and Environment. He has been involved in the National Recreation and Park Association and was a founding member of the American Academy for Recreation Administration. His list of contributions to the community is long. Locally, he has served for the United Way, McKinley Church and Foundation, Kiwanis International and numerous task forces and committees. He received the Vocational Service Award from the Champaign Rotary and was recognized by Oak Park as its Outstanding Citizen in 1965.

Elmhurst Wins Communicator Award
The Elmhurst Park District won an Award of Distinction in the category Government/Low Budget in the Communicator Awards 1999 Video Competition. The Communicator Awards is a national program that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field. Entries are judged by industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. There were 3,275 entries from 49 states and seven other countries. The Award of Distinction is awarded for projects that exceed industry standards in production or communication skills.

Burnidge Cassell Receives Awards for Master Plan
The Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects presented a Planning Merit Award to Burnidge Cassell and Associates its December Awards Banquet. The Illinois Chapter of the American Planning Association presented an Honorable Mention Award to the Village of Lake Zurich and Burnidge Cassell and Associates at its annual meeting. The jury took particular note of the thoroughness of the effort and the implementation program outlined in the Downtown Master Plan. The plan was completed in the Spring of 1999 after a yearlong process. Burnidge Cassell Associates (BCA) is a multi-discipline firm that has received numerous awards in their 32 years of architectural and landscape/landplanning practice.

Kathy Merner joined the staff of the Macon County Conservation District as executive director, becoming the third director to lead the district. Merner comes to the district from her post as deputy director of the Joliet Park District. Previously, she served as director of planning and development for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and the director of the Roselle and Itasca park districts. Located in Decatur, the conservation district manages 3, 400 acres of natural area, historic sites, and trails for the 117, 000 residents of Macon County.

Nancy Kaszak, a park lawyer with experience in state government, has been named executive director of CorLands, a 22-year-old nonprofit organization that saves open space throughout the Chicago region for public enjoyment. Kaszak's real estate expertise includes years of serving as chief legal officer for the Chicago Park District and representing a variety of suburban park districts for Ancel, Glink, Diamond, Cope & Bush, P.D., a Chicago firm that specializes in local government law. During her five years at the Chicago Park District, Kaszak managed legal matters related to the district's land-acquisition program, which included acquisition of large parcels of riverfront, lakefront and abandoned railway properties. Her extensive knowledge of government stems from serving four years as a state representative, during which her accomplishments included establishing a center to provide non-regulatory environmental assistance to small and mid-size businesses. CorLands, or the Corporation for Openlands, is an affiliate of the 37-year-old Openlands Project, a nonprofit conservation organization among the oldest in the nation. Working with park and forest preserve districts, other public agencies and private landowners, CorLands has helped preserve over 6,000 acres of open space in Illinois valued at more than $60 million.

Jan Springer joins the Northbrook Park District as recreation supervisor. She hails from LaSalle-Peru, Ill., and graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor of science degree in Leisure Studies, with an emphasis on Program Management. Previously, she worked for the Naperville Park District as program manager for preschool/youth programs. Springer will be responsible for supervising general programming at the district, specifically preschool, camps, general classes and special events.

Illinois Parks and Recreation * March/April 2000 * 53

PEOPLE AND PLACES

- In Memoriam -
Jerry Baer and John Brandenburg

Jerry Baer (left) and John Brandenburg

The Schaumburg Park District was devastated by the deaths of a veteran staff member and a park board commissioner, occurring less than 24 hours apart, in late January.

Jerry Baer, assistant director at the Schaumburg Park District, died on Jan. 19, 2000, in Chicago, after a courageous yearlong battle with cancer. He was 52. Baer had been employed at the district since 1975 as their financial and business officer. He served as chairperson for the NRPA Business Institute in 1999 and had previous involvement in IPRA serving as director of the A & F Section. His colleagues fondly remember him for his stellar financial acumen, quick wit, contagious laughter, and keen love of sports.

John Brandenburg, 67, was first elected park commissioner at Schaumburg Park District in 1967 and was re-elected several times thereafter. Brandenberg died on Jan. 20, 2000, following complications from a lengthy illness. He was very active in the Schaumburg Athletic Association and was a strong supporter of youth activities. Brandenburg contributed immeasurably to the growth and success of the district over the past four decades.

Steve Muenz was hired as recreation supervisor for the Northbrook Park District, coordinating programs for the Athletics/Aquatics Department such as soccer, volleyball, tennis and softball. He also will help organize special events such as Winter Carnival, Spring Bunny Trail, Kid Fest and this year's 2000 Fest Celebration. Muenz holds a bachelor of science degree in Recreation Administration from Aurora University and has worked as an athletic supervisor for the Wauconda and Vernon Hills park districts.

Judith Lukes was hired by the Naperville Park District as community development manager. She will coordinate the volunteer program and local grants, gifts, and donations. Lukes comes to the park district from the Community Career Center in Naperville, where she was the executive director. There, she wrote grants, recruited and trained more than 40 volunteers, and developed strategies for fund-raising. Lukes also was an adjunct faculty member of the speech and theater department at North Central College and an adjunct faculty member in the speech communication department at Elmhurst College.

Joe Nidea has become the first full-time fitness coordinator of the Premiere Fitness Club, a facility of Oak Brook Park District. Certified by the National Academy of Sports medicine as a fitness trainer with 13 years in the fitness industry, he is a veteran who has been with the three year-old facility since it first opened. Formerly a manager of the DuPage Club, Nidea is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Premiere Fitness Club, including staff scheduling and trainer assignment. He graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor of science degree in Biology/Psychology and earned his MBA in Marketing/Finance from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Ellen S. Schnackel was hired by the city of Dearborn, Mich., as facilities manager of the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center. Schnackel previously managed a 260-acre recreation facility and park in Brighton, Mich. Prior to this, she managed the Devonshire Cultural Center in Skokie, Ill. Schnackel has won numerous awards including IPRA's 1997 Outstanding Facility Award, 1995 Young Professional of the Year, and 1995 Most Innovative Program Award. Schnackel's professional memberships include the National Recreation and Park Association, IPRA, Ohio Parks and Recreation Association, and the Michigan Parks and Recreation Association. She earned a bachelor of science from Western Michigan University and a master's of science (Administration of Leisure Services) from Aurora (Ill.) University.

Valerie Kozuch, program coordinator for the West Suburban Special Recreation Association was elected President-Elect of the Special Recreation Associations of Northern Illinois (SRANI) for the year 2000. Kozuch will assume the president's position in 2001. Scott Dempsey, a recreation specialist with the West Suburban Special Recreation Association was elected Treasurer of the SRANI. There are 26 special recreation associations in northern Illinois serving thousands of individuals of all ages with disabilities. Illinois attracts therapeutic recreation professionals from across the country to work at these SRAs, which are unique to the state.

54 * Illinois Parks and Recreation * March/April 2000

PEOPLE AND PLACES

Dave Haring, CLP, has been appointed as the executive director for the Lockport Township Park District. He will be responsible for the overall operation of the District. Haring, a graduate of Eastern Illinois University, spent the last year as the director of recreation for Lockport and prior to that, worked for the Elmhurst Park District for 13 years in a variety of positions. He is a member of the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, National Recreation and Parks Association and is currently active in the Facility Management Section of IPRA.

Ron Cassidy has been named assistant manager of operations at the Glenview Park Golf Club. Cassidy has worked in the recreation field since 1990 in a variety of positions including adult softball coordinator and camp site director for the Arlington Heights Park District. He was later hired by the Des Plaines Park District as a member of the special projects crew where he was involved in the construction of four new community playgrounds. Prior to joining the Glenview, he was employed by the Town of Normal Park and Recreation Department as assistant manager in charge of outside operations at Ironwood Golf Course. Cassidy has an associate's degree from Harper Community College in Palatine, Ill., and expects to graduate from Illinois State University in May 2000 with a bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation Administration.

Melissa Caine was hired as athletic supervisor for the St. Charles Park District. She received a degree from St. Mary's University of Minnesota in 1997. Previously, she worked as an accountant for Thermal-Tech Systems in Geneva. Her interest in recreation came from a love of athletics and the desire to experience new and exciting challenges.

Geneseo Receives Illinois FIRST Grant
Senator Todd Sieben and Representative Jerry Mitchell were in Geneseo on Jan. 4, 2000, to present the Geneseo Park District with a $175, 000 check as a part of the Illinois FIRST Program. Administered through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA), the grant will go towards two projects of the park district. The Geneseo Community Park District will purchase 8.2 acres of land from the Geneseo Community School District #228 known as the Junior High School Athletic Field located in the 400 block of the East North Street in Geneseo. And, the Geneseo Community Park District will install four new aquatic slides at the current outdoor pool located at 521 East North Street in Geneseo. With the recent introduction of the Aquatics Parks into the area, the four new water slides will bring added fun and excitement to our outdoor pool. Slides will be added to the five and three foot sections of the main pool and one to the wading pool area.

Tom Schau wins "Friends" E-bike Giveaway

Tom Schau (at left), partner in Burnham & Flower—the marketing firm for the IPARKS risk management program—won a shiny, red E-bike raffled by the Friends of Illinois Parks at the 2000 IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference. The E-bike is a battery-powered electronic bicycle made by Iacocca's EV Global Motors Co.

Schau lived in Peoria for 15 years before moving recently to Kalamazoo, Mich., with his wife, Judy, and their three boys.

"Michigan is not as organized as Illinois regarding parks and recreation," says Schau. "It just becomes part of a larger government and there aren't as many activities as the park districts in Illinois. We miss that."

Why did he buy five raffle tickets from Friends of Illinois Parks?

"Friends is a good cause," says Schau.

Tell us about your friends.
People from all walks of life are making a difference in parks and recreation. These "friends" make monetary contributions, give their time to clean-up parks and forest preserves, teach classes or coach sports teams. Friends of Illinois Parks is a nonprofit organization that strives to involve more citizens statewide as friends in these ways and others, such as legislative advocacy.

For more information about the E-bike or Friends of Illinois Parks:
Contact Friends of Illinois Parks, 211 E.
Monroe Street, Springfield, IL 62701;
toll-free 1-877-523-4558 or
www.ILparks.org

Illinois Parks and Recreation * March/April 2000 * 55

Plaques Honoring J.C. Blair Dedicated in Urbana, Fort Massac
Two identical bronze plaques were commissioned and dedicated this past October—one at the Urbana Park District and one at Fort Massac State Park—in honor of Joseph Cullen (J.C.) Blair (1871-1960), considered the "Father of the Illinois State Park System." The plaques recognize Blair's efforts to preserve and beautify the state of Illinois through the establishment of Fort Massac State Park and the Illinois State Park system as well as his work with the state legislature to benefit park districts. A horticulturist and the Dean of the University of Illinois' College of Agriculture, Blair was the first president of the Illinois Association of Park Districts in 1928.

IPRA Awarded Accreditation from PDRMA
Working to make its parks and recreational programs and services safe and cost effective for the members it serves has been an ongoing goal of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA). These loss prevention efforts have paid off in many ways including a safety award from the Association's risk pool. Since November, 1997, IPRA has been a member of the Park District Risk Management Agency (PDRMA), which is a self-insurance risk pool made up of 125 Illinois park and recreation agencies. The risk pool annually conducts an in-depth review of its members' loss prevention programs and IPRA's review earned it a rating of Excellent, Level A. PDRMA awarded IPRA a final score of 98.49%. Points are awarded in areas such as recreation safety practices, claims management, hazard identification, and many other loss prevention areas. IPRA receives an award plaque and a cash award of $1,500 which can be used to further improve risk management programs. In addition, as a result of averaging a score of 95% on the past two safety program evaluations, IPRA was awarded PDRMA's highest award which is accreditation.

Kane County Forest Preserve Acquires Two Parcels of Land
Jack E. Cook, president of the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, announces the completion of an acquisition of 196 acres in Plato Township. The acquisition is an expansion of the Fitchie Creek Forest Preserve and includes another half-mile of Fitchie Creek and its associated wetlands. This site contains a glacial kame and represents the terminal moraine that created many of the unique features of northern Kane County.

Also, the district acquired 219 acres of Sugar Grove Township, adjacent to the Hannaford Woods Forest Preserve and Waubonsee Community College. The beautiful stretch of Blackberry Creek is an integral part of this forest preserve. The name of the new preserve will be M. Leonard & Madeline Nickels Family Farm Forest Preserve, honoring the Nickels family, longtime residents of Kane County. The district received a LAWCON grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to assist with the acquisition. 

56* Illinois Parks and Recreation* March/April 2000