Each year, over 40 major professional education programs are available for recreation and park professionals to advance their knowledge on specialized topics ranging from the development of executive directors and the generation of revenue from park and recreation operations, to the management of park and recreation maintenance systems and the marketing of leisure service. Many of these programs are called "schools" to reflect the formal nature and intensity of the programs to potential participants and to policy makers that invest considerable time and money for their employees to advance their knowledge, thereby helping to improve the park and recreation services provided to their constituents. It is roughly estimated that over 5,000 park and recreation professionals attend one or more of these educational programs each year while another 500 serve as regents and instructors. While many of our colleagues deserve recognition for providing leadership in developing various professional continuing education programs, none have made a greater contribution than Thomas I. Hines, professor emeritus at North Carolina State University.
The first "school" for park and recreation professionals was the Revenue Sources Management School coordinated by Tom Hines and North Carolina State University at Oglebay Park, Wheeling, West Virginia, in March of 1965. The program attracted 129 practitioners from 30 states and three Canadian provinces. The program was developed by the Revenue Sources Committee of the American Institute of Park Executives. The 12 person committee of respected practitioners formulated the original curriculum, wrote monographs and served as instructors, a format that most schools follow to this day. The Revenue Sources Management School was followed in 1972 by the Maintenance Management School. Over 5,000 park and recreation personnel have completed the requirements of those two programs over their 55 combined years of service.
The Oglebay Schools proved so successful that Oglebay Park and Professor Hines were approached by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums to conduct a school to develop management techniques for zoo and aquarium executives. In 1975 the first Professional Management Development School for Zoo and Aquarium Personnel attracted 40 participants. But Tom Hines’ work wasn’t completed. One year before his retirement from N.C. State University, Professor Hines provided leadership in the development of the Arts Management School (1977), and two years later he helped develop the Sports Management School (1980). He also provided direction and leadership in the establishment of the National Institute of Golf Management, the School of RV Park & Campground Management, the Concession Management Training School, the Public Assembly Facility Management School, and the Supervisors’ Management School. All but the Arts Management School are still offered annually at Oglebay Park.
While the N.S. State/Oglebay schools continued to flourish, some former regents and graduates of the Revenue and Maintenance Schools from western states developed similar programs to meet the needs of park and recreation professionals in that region as an alternative to traveling cross-country to Wheeling.
While Tom Hines is best recognized nationally for his contributions to the continuing professional education of park and recreation personnel, he made numerous other professional contributions during his career at North Carolina State University. In 1947, while a member of the North Caroline State College physical education faculty, Professor Hines was asked to develop a new curriculum to prepare leaders to provide recreation services in rural and industrial settings. That program evolved into one of the strongest professional preparation programs for the management of park and recreation resources in the United States with Tom serving as department head for 30 years until his retirement in 1978. During that period, graduate and research programs were developed and the department was the first to receive accreditation in 1977. Tom Hines’ many professional contributions were recognized through his selection as a Distinguished Fellow by both the Society of Park and Recreation Educators (SPRE) and the American Park and Recreation Society (APRS). He also received the Fellow Award from the North Carolina Recreation and Park Society in which he is still active. While Tom’s contributions to higher education continue in many forms at N.S. State University and elsewhere, he chose to utilize his humble, gentlemanly style and his never-ending energy for the professional advancement of practitioners rather than seeking national recognition for himself.
Many members of the Academy and thousands of park and recreation personnel across the USA and Canada own a part of their success to knowledge gained at one or more of the Oglebay Park schools, or to similar programs that evolved at other locations over the years. It is no wonder that he is often called the "Father of Continuing Education."
Tom Hines has been a leader, mentor and colleague to thousands of park and recreation professionals over a career that has now spanned 50 years. Those of us whose life he has touched look forward to many more years of his counsel and guidance in meeting the educational needs of current and future recreation and park leaders.