George Butler Lecture
The George Butler Lecture is presented at the opening session of the Leisure Research Symposium of the annual National Recreation and Park Association Congress. It is sponsored by the Academy of Leisure Sciences, and named after a Founding Member of the Academy, GEORGE D. BUTLER (1894-1985).
George Butler's legacy is shared by the parks and recreation profession and by the nation's communities, families, and particularly children and youth. He was one of the first to recognize the importance of parks and recreation to human development. The open space standards he developed in the 1930s guide students, educators, and administrators to this day. Among his six books are Playgrounds: Their Administration and Operation and Recreation Areas: Their Design and Equipment. His book, Introduction to Community Recreation, challenged governments to accept responsibility for public provision of park and recreation facilities and services. Today's park and recreation systems testify to his pioneering wisdom and energy. George Butler was Director of Research for the National Recreation Association (now NRPA) for 43 years (1919-1962), and one of the first and most persistent proponents of research in our field. Working with numerous government agencies, he conducted scores of community recreation surveys as well as a series of nationwide studies of municipal park and recreation resources. We are his grateful beneficiaries. For further detail about George Butler’s life and legacy, see the text of Daniel Dustin’s presentation at the first Butler Lecture in 2004.
2013 George Butler Lecture
Information coming soon.
2012 George Butler Lecture
Featured Speaker: Robert Garcia, Founding Director and Counsel, The City Project
Title: Social Justice & Leisure: The Usefulness of Leisure Research
Location: NRPA Annual Congress, Anaheim Convention Center, Rm 207D
Time: Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 4:30pm - 5:45pm
For more information on the topic of the lecture, please see this PDF information sheet.
Donate to the Butler Lecture Fund
Visit our donations page to donate to the Butler Lecture Fund as well as the Future Scholars Program.