People Places and Things

Dr. Joseph D. Teaff, professor in the Department of Recreation at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, has been selected 1987 Teacher of the Year within the College of Education.

Dr. Joseph Teaff

Each year the faculty of the College of Education selects one of its members for this honor. The recipient is one who is considered to have made the greatest contributions in quality of teaching, research productivity and service to the profession.

Each department within the College of Education is asked to nominate one candidate for the award, and one of these nominees is then selected as Teacher of the Year by the Student-Faculty Concerns Committee of the College. The winner of the award represents the faculty at the annual Honors Day and receives funding for a professional trip.

Franchise Management Systems Inc., Champaign, recieved the Champaign Park District's Building Champaign Parks Award in February. The district gives the award several times per year for excellence in volunteer service by corporations, businesses and industries.

Franchise Management Systems has been involved in the Area Eight Special Olympics since 1981. The company has donated Arby's sandwiches (1981-86) to the spring Special Olympic games, and it has sponsored the Area Eight Basketball Tournament for four consecutive years. In addition, the company has provided promotional efforts, financial support, and time and energy to the entire special Olympics program.

Randall E. Phillips, 37, is the Peoria Park District's new superintendent of recreation and leisure services. The position was formerly held by James 0. Breen, now director of parks and recreation.

As superintendent, Phillips will have full management responsibility for the Recreation Division which employs more than 40 full-time and 600 part-time employees with a budget of $3 million, 50 percent of which is self-sustaining.

Randall Phillips

Phillips holds a B.S. degree in business administration as well as an M.S. degree in guidance and counseling (human resources management) from Northern Michigan University. He recently held the rank of Air Force Major, and has been Chief of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Division at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, NM. At Holloman he was in charge of all recreation facilities and programs on the base including a nine-hole golf course, two outdoor pools, athletic areas, recreation centers, an arts and crafts center, gymnasium, bowling center, child development center, equestrian facility, library, camping area, the NCO, and officers' clubs and restaurant operations.

Phillips is a member of Alpha Kappa Psi and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).
(Continued on page 28)

Parks and Recreation Day Rod Aiken, Kerry Hays and Fred Hall (left to right) of the Palatine Park District sing God Bless America before the game. More than 500 youths participate in a free on-the-field clinic conducted by Sting defender Paul Krumpe and other Sting players. Approximately 2,000 persons from more than 40 local park districts, recreation departments and special recreation associations participated in Parks and Recreation Day with the Chicago Sting on March 8 at the Rosemont Horizon. The event was sponsored by the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA). (All photos courtesy of the Chicago Sting/David Knickelbein.)

Illinois Parks and Recreation 27 May/June 1987

Gary Balling has been appointed administrative manager of the Morton Grove Park District. In this capacity, he is responsible for the direction of the district.

Gary Balling

Balling received a bachelor of science degree in 1976 from Eastern Illinois University (EIU), and he is presently completing his master's degree in the management and development of human resources at the National College of Education in Evanston, He was previously employed by the St. Charles, Northbrook and Naperville Park Districts.

Thompson Dyke and Associates,Ltd., Northbrook, announces the association of Scott A. Freres.

Freres is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he majored in landscape architecture.

The Illinois Therapeutic Recreation Section (ITRS) is sponsoring the Northern Region Workshop on September 3-4 at the Loredo Taft Field Campus in Oregon, IL.

The workshop will focus on programmatic trends and concerns in therapeutic recreation. Ideas for educational sessions which can be included in the program should be directed to either Gary Koenig or Nancy Schmidt, (312) 831-2450. Anyone who wants to serve on the Workshop Committee should also contact them.

Workshop registration materials will be mailed in July.

Spreading the word ... The Urbana and Carbondale Park Districts are sharing the findings from the Governor's Conference on the Economic Significance of Recreation with leaders in their communities. In a letter accompanying the conference Proceedings, Urbana Parks Dir. Robin Hall and Commissioner Betsy Gillies stressed the document's implications on the local community: . . . These speakers have confirmed in many ways what we have always believed: that appealing parks and attractive recreation programs invite new business investment; that a well-run park district enhances the physical, mental, environmental and economic health of the community; that in addition to increased real estate values, there is a documented multiplication of park district dollars in our city, and that there are intangible benefits to the quality of life. The letter also notes particular presentations which might be of special interest to the civic leaders. The district distributed copies of the report to the mayor and City Council members; the city's chief executive officer; the director of the city's Community Development Department and the Regional Planning Commission; staff from the Chamber of Commerce, the Urbana-Champaign Economic Development Council, and the Champaign-Urbana Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Illinois Congressman Terry Bruce (D-19). The district indicates a positive response to the report. Urbana Park District Commissioner Betsy Gillies presents a copy o£ the Proceedings from the Governor's Conference on the Economic Significance of Recreation to Urbana Mayor Jeff Markland. (Photo courtesy of the Urbana Park District.) The Carbondale Park District also distributed copies of the Proceedings. Recipients included the Carbondale Public Library, City Council members and mayor, local school boards, the presidents of Southern Illinois University and John A. Logan Community College, and the leadership of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, Chamber of Commerce, Airport Authority, and the Carbondale Convention and Visitors Bureau. State Sens. Ralph Dunn (R-58) and Glenn Poshard (D-59) and Reps. Bruce Richmond (D-116) and Jim Rea (D-l 17) also received the publication. Ted Flickinger, executive director of the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD), urged other park districts and recreation agencies to share the Proceedings with their community leaders. This action, he feels, will heighten public awareness about the economic impact of recreation in the State.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 28 May/June 1987