Karla V. Parker*

Karla V. Parker dedicated her life to the service of others greatly contributing to her community, state and nation. She lived most of her adult life in Grand Rapids. She was a member of the Public Recreation Board of Grand Rapids for 25 years from 1939 to 1964. This Board represented both the City of Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Board of Education. The Board had the responsibility of operating the total community recreation program. She served as the Board’s secretary during her 25 years of membership. She was involved in numerous other civic responsibilities, but she made a special effort to remain an active and involved member of the recreation board which was very special to her.

Karla’s civic resume is outstanding, some of those efforts included membership to: Conservation Department, Recreation Division, State of Michigan Advisory Committee; Member, President Eisenhower Committee on Youth Fitness; and Member, Michigan Youth Commission and Participant, White House Conference on Children and Youth. In addition, she was very active at the local, state and national levels for Camp Fire Girls, P.T.A. and YMCA.

Karla was fond of swimming. She and other Recreation Board members became concerned that the Grand Rapids Public Schools were late in realizing that swimming pools were a legitimate part of the school program. After years of urging, the Board of Education and the City of Grand Rapids decided that when the new high schools were built, swimming pools would be included. The new jointly funded school swimming facilities greatly improved the recreation and educational programs of Grand Rapids. Fittingly, one of those facilities was named in her honor.

Karla V. Parker in her numerous leadership capacities always stressed the importance that recreation made a dramatic difference in the quality of life for all citizens’ young and old.