Distinguished Award Given To Parks District Manager

WALNUT CREEK, CA — East Bay Regional Park District’s General Manager Robert E. Doyle has received the 2018 Honorable Cornelius Amory Pugsley Award medal, the most prestigious award given for work toward the promotion and development of public parks, recreation, and conservation in the United States. It was awarded by the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration.

Doyle has spent his entire career with the Park District, beginning as a park ranger and working his way up to the top position. His positions included Planning & Design, and Land Acquisition and Planning.

"This is a very special award for me," Doyle said. "Not only because many of my park heroes are on this list, but also because there is a connection to the leadership lineage of the regional parks."

Doyle was nominated for the Pugsley Award by former East Bay Regional Park District General Manager Pat O’Brien, who received the medal in 2003 during his tenure at the District. Duncan McDuffie, former Sierra Club president and chair of State Park Commission who had a role in creating the Park District in 1934, won the first Silver medal in 1928. Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., developed the first East Bay Regional Park District Plan with his brother, and National Park Chief, Ansel Hall. Olmsted, Jr. received the award in 1953. Former Park District General Managers William P. Mott (1972, 1982, 1988), Richard Trudeau (1990), and Pat O’Brien (2003), and former Board members Carol Severin (2000) and John Sutter (2016) received the award as well, making East Bay Regional Park District the most recognized regional park district on the award recipient list.

During his acceptance speech Doyle thanked those who played a role in his development. "I did not do any of these things by myself," he said. "I did it with mentors who pushed me, leaders who trusted me, and generations of park champions. To be the stewards of these wonderful places where kids can play, where all are welcome; that I can know we have places where the birds sing and flowers bloom year after year is a great reward."

The 2018 Pugsley Award ceremony took place in Indianapolis last month.

Doyle is a resident of Walnut Creek, where he lives with his wife, Tina Batt. He has two adult children, two adult step-sons, and two grandchildren.

The East Bay Regional Park District comprises 121,000 acres in 73 parks including over 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and nature learning in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

(Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!)

Also See:

• List Of All ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ Restaurants In Northern California
• The 100 Best Places To Live In California Ranked 2018
• Please Don't Help My Kids

-Image via East Bay Regional Park District