WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION Robert J. Hall’s Lifelong Leadership in Parks PHOTO COURTESY OF MISSOURI HALL OF FAME obert J. Hall devoted his life to strengthen-ing communities through parks and recreation, building a legacy that stretched from neighbor-hood recreation centers to international partner-ships. Throughout the Robert J. Hall course of a career span-ning more than four decades, he shaped the profession at nearly every level, leaving a lasting mark on agencies, organizations and col-leagues across the country. Hall, who passed away in De-cember, is still being remembered by friends and colleagues. This re-spected park and recreation leader began his work in 1960 in St. Lou-is, launching what would become an extraordinary 39-year tenure in R public service in the region. He held a succession of leadership roles, in-cluding community center director for City of St. Louis, director of parks and recreation for Kirkwood, and multiple executive positions with St. Louis County Parks and Recreation, ultimately serving as its director. In each role, he champi-oned accessible programs and parks as essential civic infrastructure. In 1999, Hall became executive director of Gateway Parks and Trails. His leadership helped lay the groundwork for what would become the Metropolitan Park and Recreation District, now known as the Great Rivers Greenway, and the Metro East Park and Recre-ation District. Those efforts ex-panded regional cooperation and created new pathways for conser-vation, recreation and connectivity across communities. A member of NRPA since 1965, Hall went on to serve as president and trustee. He was also a board member of the American Park and Recreation Society branch and a leader within the Great Lakes Re-gional Council, including serving as chair, as well as serving two terms as president of the Missouri Park and Recreation Association. “Bob Hall was a visionary whose leadership transformed parks and recreation at every lev-el,” says Brian Schaffer, director of St. Louis County Parks and Recreation and chairman of the Missouri Recreation and Parks Hall of Fame Committee. “His contributions will inspire profes-sionals for generations.” Join the New NRPA Network for Small Agencies! RPA currently offers exclusive member net-works for park and recreation professionals to connect and network with like-minded professionals from across the globe. This April, we are ex-cited to debut the Small Agen-cy Network! This network brings together park and recreation professionals from small towns and rural communities who manage varied responsibilities with limited resources. This peer network creates space to connect, share ideas and support one another while elevating the unique strengths and challenges of small agencies. 12 Parks & Recreation N “Working in a small agency can feel isolating, especially when you’re wearing all the hats. This communi-ty is about connection, encourage-ment, and knowing there are others who truly understand your challeng-es, your wins and why this work mat-ters,” says Emmy Richards, CPRP, director of Town of Ashland (Virgi-na) Parks and Recreation. The Small Agency Network will host virtual meetings on Zoom throughout the year and the oppor-tunity to gather in person at the 2026 NRPA Annual Conference, Septem-ber 29 to October 1 in Philadelphia. We encourage NRPA members to join the Small Agency Network on NRPA Connect. The first NRPA Small Agency Network virtual meeting will take place on April 16, at 1 p.m. EDT. Register here. “Small and rural agencies are some of the most resourceful and community-driven departments in our field. This network gives them a place to share solutions that tru-ly fit their realities and learn from people who understand their work. It’s an opportunity to grow along-side peers who face the same chal-lenges and are just as committed to serving their communities,” says Keith Cox, CPRP, AFO, director of City of Bryant (Arkansas) Parks and Recreation. | APRIL 2026 | PARKSANDRECREATION.ORG
Parks Recreation Magazine April 2026: Page 12
