At the Academy banquet held the evening of October 16, honoree Thomas Hines will join the distinguished ranks of his fellow park and recreation pioneers in the Robert W. Crawford Hall of Fame.

Hines began his career in parks and recreation as a playground director for Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and then moved into the academic world. He developed one of the first college curricula in parks and recreation management at North Carolina State University, also one of the first colleges or universities to obtain national accreditation, where he served as professor and department head.

He guided his faculty over his 31-year tenure at North Carolina State University to create a dynamic and attractive degree program that prepared highly accomplished park and recreation professionals (many of whom have been or continue to be leaders in the profession and NRPA). There, he developed Rho Phi Alpha, the first honorary fraternity for students in parks and recreation. He also developed the Revenue Sources Management School, which proved to be the model for NRPA’s professional education schools. Hines was active in NRPA and in many other park and recreation organizations. 

The author of numerous books on the field and winner of a plethora of award, Hines’ reach and influence is difficult to express and impossible to measure.

Brenda Beales is NRPA’s Awards and Accreditation Manager.