Beginning and Early Years (1966-1982)
In order to understand the history of Clemson’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management Department, one must go back to the emergence of recreation as a popular pastime, creating the need for workers and professionals in the recreation industry. The following section is from an interview with Dr. Gordon Howard on October 26, 2021: The South Carolina Recreation and Park Society, Inc. (now known as the South Carolina Recreation and Park Association), was founded in 1955. This program was an affiliate of the National Recreation and Park Association and functioned as the state professional organization for people working in recreation, parks, and other similar fields. Around that time, university programs in recreation were already established or being established, including at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of Georgia. With recreation programs surrounding Clemson, it became obvious that South Carolina was missing out on the opportunity to establish a recreation program of its own. In the late 1950s or early 1960s, the South Carolina Recreation and Park Society recognized the need for a university-level education program. The society wanted a university program to prepare park and recreation professionals for the many jobs in recreation in South Carolina. As the South Carolina Recreation and Park Society was based near Columbia, SC, Society leaders asked the University of South Carolina (UofSC) president if he would be open to starting a recreation department, which he declined. So, the Society leaders approached Clemson University’s President, Dr. Robert Edwards, and he loved the proposal. This put into motion the process of getting approval from the Board of Trustees and the South Carolina Commission of Higher Education, and the Department of Recreation and Park Administration (RPA) welcoming its first students in Fall of 1966. The initial curriculum offered was a one-track program, so all of the early students completed the same courses, resulting in a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Park Administration (Howard, personal communication, October 26, 2021).
In 1966, the state of South Carolina was working on legislation to reopen state parks for public enjoyment (Reel, pg. 66). In 1967, General Assembly Act 133 was enacted at the state level, creating South Carolina’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (Reel, pg. 66). This led to the need for recreation and tourism programs in universities. Thanks to President Robert Edwards, President of Clemson University from 1958-1979, and Harold Landrith, Dean of the College of Education from 1965-1982, Clemson’s innovation and the state’s action coincided (Reel, pg. 66). Clemson University established their Recreation and Parks Administration (RPA) Bachelor of Science in 1966 (1966 Course catalog, pgs. 177-178). The program started small with mostly transfer students from other programs at Clemson University, but grew quickly (White, personal communication, October 22, 2021). The program met with some challenges in the early years, including pushback from the Forestry Management program regarding sharing resources with RPA. When it came time to choose a piece of property in the experimental forest to clear in order to build the outdoor lab, there was a lot of pushback (audio clip of interview included below) (White, personal communication, October 22, 2021). However, the lab was built and has run hundreds of camps over the years. According to Dr. Gordon Howard, at some point in the late 1970's, President Edwards stated to the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education that no department at Clemson University was more focused on the needs of the people of South Carolina than the Department of Recreation and Park Administration (Howard, personal communication, October 26, 2021).
