Environmentalist Reynold E. Carlson, who supervised the development of
Indiana University’s curriculum in outdoor recreation education and the
establishment of its Bradford Woods Outdoor Education and Camping Center, died
February 19 in Bloomington.Environmentalist Reynold E. Carlson, who supervised the development of
Indiana University’s curriculum in outdoor recreation education and the
establishment of its Bradford Woods Outdoor Education and Camping Center, died
February 19 in Bloomington.
He was 95 years old and a very special person. Perhaps no one else has so significantly touched the lives of faculty, staff and students in the field of parks and recreation at IU. Rey was recognized as a dynamic leader in the areas of outdoor recreation/education, conservation, and organized camping, but most of all - whether in the classroom or the field - he was truly a master teacher who had unique ability to excite the mind, light fires, and stimulate education interests in every student. His genuine and caring warmth, kind and gentle debonair, and wonderful mentoring technique infected everyone with his love of the great outdoors.
Born October 17, 1901, in Cokato, Minnesota, he was the son of Charles J. and Matilda (Larsen) Carlson. He graduated from high school in Patterson, California, earned Bachelor of Arts (1925) and Master of Arts (1936) degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, and did additional graduate work at Stanford University.
From 1925 to 19365, he served as a YMCA director, principal, teacher and coach in California, and for three summers was a ranger/naturalist at Yosemite National Park. He then was a field representative for the National Recreation Association, with responsibilities for community recreation planning and outdoor education, before coming to IU in 1947 as Assistant Professor of Recreation.
From 1962 to 1966 he served as the chairman of the Department of Recreation and Park Administration. During his tenure at IU, he supervised the development of the outdoor recreation education curriculum and the development of Bradford Woods Outdoor Education and Camping Center. He was also instrumental in the establishment of Camp Riley and the American Camping Association Headquarters at Bradford Woods. In 1980, the five-acre Reynold E. Carlson Learning Resource area was dedicated there in honor of the outstanding leadership he had given to the university.
He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1950, to Professor in 1956, and was Chairman of the Department of Recreation from 1962-1966. He received an honorary Doctor of Human Letters Degree and the Frederic Bachman Leiber Award for teaching excellence from IU, and retired in 1972 with the rank of Professor Emeritus of Recreation.
Carlson dedicated his life to the advancement of leisure professions as a consultant, naturalist, author and speaker. He received distinguished service awards from such organizations as the American Camping Association, the National Recreation and Park Association, The National Association of Interpretive Naturalists, the Society of Park and Recreation Educators, and the Girl Scouts of America. He was an elected member of the National Academy of Leisure Sciences, the American Recreation Society, and the Association of Interpretive Naturalists, and was an honorary member of the Soil Conservation Society of America. He was named "Man of the Year" by the Indiana Park and Recreation Association, and was designated both a Kentucky Colonel and a Sagamore of the Wabash (from Indiana). He also served on the Forest Research Advisory Committee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In 1976, the IU Foundation established the Carlson Distinguished Lecture Endowment Fund in honor of this pioneer of the outdoor recreation/education movement. This fund supports an outstanding outdoor leader who is selected each year to present the Carlson Lecture of Campus.
Carlson was the co-author of three textbooks: Outdoor Education, Recreation in American Life, and Organizations for Children and Youth. He wrote numerous articles, particularly in Camping Magazine and Recreation, as well as booklets and other special publications.
He had served as President of the American Camping Association; member of the Advisory Council for Lands, Forests and Wildlife of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources; lifetime trustee of the Indiana Chapter of the Nature Conservancy; co-founder of Camp Reynold, the Association of Interpretive Naturalists; and founding member of the academy of Leisure Sciences.
Also active in community life, Carlson was the first president of Bloomington’s Golden Age Kiwanis Club, and an advisory board member of the Area 10 Council of Aging, Older American Center, Monroe County Council of Senior Citizens and Tulip Tree Council of Girl Scouts. He attended the First Presbyterian Church and helped in the development of its Larry Crowe Outdoor Retreat.
Source: Academy Bulletin (by Phil Rea)