Celebrating 50 years of WIU’s RPTA Department

The Western Illinois Museum is co-hosting a celebration of the Western Illinois University’s Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration Department’s 50^th Anniversary. On Friday, April 13 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. the museum opens its doors for a community-wide reception to acknowledge this important milestone. A brief program will be held at 7:00 p.m. The event is open to the public.

To commemorate the department’s rich history, six past department chairs and the current chair will be featured in the museum’s current exhibit, Celebrating 200 Years with 200 People, which showcases the people who have had an impact on our region.  While these chairs have contributed to the RPTA Department’s accomplishments, they have also played an active role in the community. Recently collected oral histories conducted by current RPTA students will be part of the exhibit and will become part of the museum’s collection. The chairs featured are Dr. Tony Mobley, Dr. Rick Bunch, Dr. Frank Lupton, Dr. Nick DiGrino, Dr. Dale Adkins, Dr. Dean Zoerink, and Dr. Dan Yoder. Recordings, artifacts, and documents included in the exhibit serve to illustrate both their professional accomplishments along with their impact through their everyday life in the community.

The event provides an opportunity to celebrate and visit with the department chairs who will be in attendance.  Appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. A cash bar will be available.

For more information, please contact Jeremy Robinett, Assistant Professor, at jl-robinett@wiu.edu or 309.298.1967 or the Western Illinois Museum at 309.837.2750.  The Western Illinois Museum is located at 201 South Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s historic Courthouse Square.  Free parking is available.