PARK AND CEMETERY. 
131 
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION* 
H. S. RICHARDS, Chicago, President 
AND CONTRIBUTIONS 
J. J. LEVISON, Brooklyn, N.Y., Sec.-Treas. 
THE DENVER CONVENTION 
A GREAT SUCCESS 
SUNDAY AFTERNOON BAND CONCERT IN CITY PARK AT DENVER. 
The fifteenth annual convention of the 
American Association of Park Superin- 
tendents held August 25, 26 and 27 at Den- 
ver, Col., was generally regarded as the 
best attended and most successful in the 
history of the organization. There was an 
attendance of over 200 and 34 new members 
were enrolled. 
The meeting was one of the most prac- 
tical, useful and interesting ever held, and 
the plan of laying especial emphasis on out- 
door field work and demonstrations proved 
successful and interesting in every detail. 
There was rare opportunity for the visitors 
to see some important parks and drives in 
the making and the development of Den- 
ver’s wonderful park system was a vastly 
interesting and profitable study. 
The local park men and city officials left 
nothing undone that could minister to the 
pleasure or profit of the visitors and the 
meeting was from every point of view a 
rarely successful combination of business 
and pleasure. 
Field work was given the place of im- 
portance on the program, and the several 
addresses by authorities of national reputa- 
tion were well calculated to furnish direc- 
tion and incentive to first hand study of 
the subjects discussed. 
To give more definite professional and 
scientific recognition to membership in the 
association a plan was discussed for the 
revision of the constitution to provide for 
four classes of membership — senior, junior, 
associate and honorary. Definite details of 
this plan have not been worked out, but a 
committee was appointed to consider the 
matter and report at the next annual meet- 
ing. 
The following officers were elected : 
President, H. S. Richards, Asst. Supt. 
South Park System of Ch'cago. 
Vice-presidents, G. W. Burke, Supt. of 
Parks, Pittsburgh, Pa. ; Fred C. Green, 
Supt. of Parks, Providence, R. I.; Frank 
Brubeck, Supt. of Parks, Terre Haute, 
Ind. : W. S. Manning, Gen. Supt. of Parks, 
Baltimore, Md. ; G. Hennenhofer, Supt. of 
Parks, Pueblo, Colo. ; G. Champion, Supt. 
of Parks, Winnipeg, Can. 
Secretary-treasurer, J. j. Levison, Fores- 
ter, Dept, of Parks, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
The first session of the convention opened 
Monday, August 25, with President James 
B. Shea of Boston in the chair. 
Manager Perkins, Commissioner of Prop- 
erty Otto Thum and President J. S. Mac- 
beth of the park board made formal ad- 
dresses of welcome, responded to by 
President Shea for the association. The 
first paper, "Playground and Recreation 
Facilities and Their Management,” was 
contributed by Edward DeGroot, general 
secretary of the Playground Association of 
Chicago. 
Mr. DeGroot emphasized the increasing 
importance of the playground movement 
and urged more careful attention for the 
direction of children’s play. He sounded 
the keynote of what was one of the most 
important topics which came up for discus- 
sion during the meetings. 
When Mr. DeGroot closed the convention 
adjourned for luncheon at City Park. 
In the afternoon the entire party was 
taken for a thirty-five mile drive in auto- 
mobiles through the principal parks and 
drives of the Denver park system. The 
drive led through City Park to Seventeenth 
avenue parkway; through Montclair Park 
System; back to City Nursery; thence to 
Cheesman Park ; to Speer boulevard ; 
around Sunken Gardens ; across Fourteenth 
LOOKING ACROSS THE SUNKEN GARDEN, DENVER PARK SYSTEM. 
