From the editor

Parks & Recreation, August, 2005 by Rachel Roberts

I've always been a big birthday person--I love the cake, the candles and the party that is likely to occur. But it's more than just fun and frosting. It's also the one time of year that we are reminded of how far we've come in our lifetime.

And it should always be celebrated. As the magazine commemorates its 40th birthday or anniversary of NRPA, we should celebrate with pride the many accomplishments of our association. Formed in 1965, those visionary thinkers couldn't have imagined what NRPA would look like 40 years later.

It was a different era: the innocence of the movie Sound of Music was awarded with an Academy Award for Best Picture; the mini-skirt shocked fashionistas for the first time in London; and "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher ruled the radio. In more serious events, the Vietnam War began to escalate with deployment of American troops; Martin Luther King, Jr., led civil rights marches in Alabama and Illinois; and President Lyndon Johnson tried to prevent communism from taking hold in the Dominican Republic by sending troops.

Forty years later, we still have silly fashions and songs, and wars abroad to fight. But through it all, parks and recreation have remained a haven to escape the trials of the day. And for 40 years, NRPA has remained dedicated to protecting and preserving park and recreation opportunities, as well as the people who provide and support them.

Take a moment to reflect on your association's anniversary with our special section (on page 34) dedicated to the 40 years of NRPA. Many members sent us "birthday greetings." We would also like to capture those people and places that make parks and recreation special through a photo competition for members. It is also fitting that in this issue, we celebrate urban parks and recreation, (page 54) a topic that was just as important to NRPA 40 years ago.

Birthdays present us with a time to reflect on our past, so we know where we're headed in the future. Happy 40th anniversary NRPA!

Rachel Roberts, Editor

Parks & Recreation magazine