Halper Served On The Board For Almost Five Years And Held A More Than Three-Decade Career As An Administrator, Educator And Author In The Field Of Recreation And Parks.
Joe Halper, a man whose more than three-decade long career as an administrator, educator and author in the field of recreation and parks administration, retired from the Board of Commissioners for L.A. Recreation and Park.
Halper received international recognition for civic merit from Sweden as a Knight of the Royal Order of the North Star. He was also recognized by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for saving millions of dollars and preserving service levels after the passage of Proposition 13 tax loss. He was designated as the Los Angeles County representative by the Board of Supervisors to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
He also served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and received recognition from Veterans organizations, including the American Legion and Jewish War Veterans, for his community service.
Halper was active in several professional organizations, serving as the President of the Long Island Park and Recreation Association, Member of the Executive Board of the New York State Park and Recreation Society, and recognized by the New York Metropolitan Recreation and Park Society as Man of the Year. He was also appointed as a Consultant to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, serving through the administration of five Presidents.
In his professional career, Halper served as an adjunct faculty member at both Columbia and New York Universities, instructing at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in park and recreation administration.
He co-authored two textbooks and several articles published in professional journals in this field. Halper has also served at the local, State, and Federal levels, developing the urban park and recreation service plan adopted for New York State while serving as Assistant Commissioner of the New York State Recreation and Parks, and appointed by Secretary of Interior as a Special Assistant to the National Park Service Director.
Halper’s professional training included a B.S degree from State University of New York at Cortland and a Master Degree from Penn State University with Majors in Recreation and Park Administration.
