Establishment of the NRPA

IN 1965 the National Recreation and Park Association was established. The new organization was created by a merger of the American Recreation Society, the National Recreation Association, the National Conference of State Parks, and the American Institute of Park Executives. The merger was brought about to deal more adequately with the increasingly pressing and more complex problems in the field. The idea was to bring together the various organizations, factions, groups, and sub-groups to join together in a cooperative venture. Further, the hope was to get the minds of the greatest thinkers in the nation in one unified approach in order to meet the needs of the profession.

The benefits of the coming together of a number of different groups, all of which were interested in parks and recreation, seemed obvious. It seemed apparent that by putting "all the eggs in one basket," progress and achievement could be far greater than what could be accomplished with smaller and more isolated units and organizations. The plan was that the new NRPA would provide extended opportunities for professionals in the field to share ideas and opinions, and that there would be a closer working relationship of personnel. Regional conferences and national congresses, it seemed, would be far better because of the merger. And, it appeared that the production of reports, research, and publications of all kinds could be used to far greater advantage.