The Robert W. Crawford Recreation and Park Hall of Fame was established in 1987 as a joint project of NRPA and the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration, and the first induction ceremony took place at NRPA’s National Congress and Exposition in 1988. Since then, 34 individuals have been added to the prestigious collection of leaders and pioneers in the field of parks and recreation. The Hall of Fame, honored through a wall of commemorative plaques at NRPA’s headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia, is a fitting memorial to those leaders in the park and recreation movement who have enriched our philosophy and enhanced our environment.

In September, one Hall of Fame honoree was remembered at the 70th Annual Vermont Governor’s Conference on Recreation. Theresa S. Brungardt, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, was a pioneer and outstanding leader of parks and recreation in Vermont. She began her career in 1917 when she joined the staff of the National Recreation Association, one of NRPA’s predecessor organizations, during World War I. Later in her career, she became Vermont’s first state director of recreation, having been appointed by Governor William H. Wills in 1943. She traveled tirelessly throughout Vermont to help communities with their recreation programs, and many of Vermont’s community recreation departments today can trace their origins back to technical assistance and inspiration provided by Brungardt. She was nationally recognized for her expertise and in 1952 was elected the first female president of the American Recreation Society (another forerunner to NRPA). Her involvement continued after her retirement in 1964 as an active member of NRPA’s Citizens’ Board Member Branch and the Parks and Recreation Board in her hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont. She died in 1990.

Each year, the Vermont Recreation and Park Association continues to recognize Brungardt’s pivotal role in Vermont recreation by awarding the Theresa S. Brungardt Award to up to three entities (Professionals, Friends of Recreation, and Community Organizations or Agencies) that carry on her legacy.

Brungardt played a key role in convening the first Vermont Governor’s Conference on Recreation in 1943, and this year, Governor Peter Shumlin highlighted her contributions to the field of parks and recreation throughout the conference. One of the conference sessions was a fireside chat with several of her relatives from across the country and Muriel More, a Vermont historian, who shared their memories of her with attendees who have since benefited from her life’s work. Brungardt’s relatives also stayed on hand to present this year’s Theresa S. Brungardt Awards to Professionals Jim Hilton and Doug MacDougall as well as Friend Muriel More.

Learn more about the Robert W. Crawford Recreation and Park Hall of Fame.

 

Danielle Taylor is the Senior Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine.