Two retired CAFNR Parks, Recreation and Sport professors recently received awards from the Missouri Park and Recreation Association.

Jerry Hitzhusen (pictured left at a previous award ceremony), associate professor emeritus, was inducted into the Missouri Recreation and Parks Hall of Fame. His career, which started with Mizzou in 1974, focuses on therapeutic recreation. He is an international advocate for disabled athletes and is committed to recreation therapy for veterans and advocacy for minority aging populations. Hitzhusen secured more than $6 million in therapeutic recreation grants and programs over his time at Mizzou, and has received the PALESTRA Leadership Award in Therapeutic Recreation, an honor only bestowed every 10 years. He helped create Boots on the Green, working with veterans to play adaptive golf, and coordinated the Midwest Symposium on Therapeutic Recreation for many years.

David Vaught (pictured right at a previous award ceremony) has received the MPRA Retirement Service Award. Vaught retired in February 2020 after more than 20 years with Mizzou. During his time leading the Parks, Recreation and Sport program, enrollment more than doubled – he also oversaw study abroad trips, internship programs, a summer academy for high school students focused on trap shooting, and much more. He received the Golden Apple award for excellence in teaching and advising in 2010 from CAFNR.

This Missouri Park and Recreation Association is a nonprofit whose members work to provide opportunities for all the state’s citizens to enjoy quality leisure activities, and is dedicated to promoting public support for parks and recreation and public awareness of the contribution of recreation to a balanced life.