Robert P. Humke: A native of Milwaukee, Edgar, and Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, Bob attended Ripon College, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse with Highest Honors in 1963, earned his master’s degree in Park and Recreation Administration with Honors from Indiana University in 1967, and completed several courses toward a Ph.D. in Leisure Studies at the University of Illinois.
He was Director of Madison’s School-Community Recreation Department from 1980 to 1996, served eight years as an extension Community Recreation Specialist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Leisure Studies at the University of Illinois, and was Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation in Waukesha, Wisconsin from 1963 to 1966.
Very active professionally, Bob served on the boards of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association, the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association, and was a founding member and president of the Illinois Community Education Association. He received numerous awards from these associations, from UW-LaCrosse (Excellence/Wall of Fame Award), Indiana University (Eppley Distinguished Alumni), American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (Willard C. Sutherland Practitioner Award), and National Recreation and Park Association (Great Lakes Regional Council Outstanding Professional).
Bob carried out numerous service projects and published over 30 articles in professional journals. He taught part-time or lectured at the University of Wisconsin’s LaCrosse, Madison, and Milwaukee campuses, and at Madison Area Technical College. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1960.
Retired since 1996, Bob is completing a book, "Capturing the Spirit of a City: Stories and Sketches from the Madison School-Community Recreation Department." His other leisure interests include age-group track competition, weightlifting, many outdoor pursuits, and traveling with his wife Ellen. They have three adult children and four grandsons. Bob is president of the Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center board in Madison, a member of Divine Savior United Methodist Church, the Wisconsin Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and the Emeritus Section of the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association. Bob and Ellen annually operate a Christian family get-away weekend program at their forest property in central Wisconsin.