Park Service director, other leaders, to be honored Tuesday at Clemson

Published: October 24, 2011

CLEMSON — The director of the National Park Service will be among several people recognized at Tuesday’s George B. Hartzog Jr. luncheon and lecture at Clemson University.

The luncheon and awards ceremony begin at noon in the grand ballroom at the Madren Center.

Jonathan B. Jarvis, 18^th director of the park service, will receive the Walter T. Cox Award for sustained achievement in public service, providing leadership in administration of public lands and for forming policies that affect natural and cultural resources.

Jarvis will give the Hartzog lecture at 2 p.m. in Self Auditorium at the Strom Thurmond Institute.

Also receiving awards Tuesday will be:

• Ruth Coleman and Becky Kelly, who will receive the Fran P. Mainella Award for sustained and innovative achievement by women in the management of North America’s natural, historic or cultural heritage. Coleman is director of California State Parks and president of the National Association of State Park Directors. Kelly is director of Georgia State Parks, with the title director of Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites. Both women have demonstrated leadership in challenging economic circumstances as they fought to keep parks open. The award is named after the 16^th Director of the National Park Service, currently a visiting scholar at Clemson University.
• Larry Zehnder, who will receive the Benton H. Box Award recognizing a private practitioner who inspires in students a quest for knowledge and encourages curriculum innovation to instill an “environmental ethic” as his rule of conduct. Zehnder, administrator of the city of Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department, has served in many roles across the nation. He led a city that in the 1960s was voted one of the dirtiest in the U.S. to become a tourism destination and one of its “greenest” cities.

Two other awards will be announced at the luncheon, including the William C. Everhart Award, presented in memoriam to David Larsen for sustained achievements in interpretation that have illuminated, created insights to and fostered an appreciation of cultural and historic heritage. The Dwight A. Holder Award recipient will be a surprise announcement.

The annual George B. Hartzog, Jr. awards program recognizes exemplary leadership in addressing environmental issues and concerns in honor of the seventh director of the National Park Service.

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