Emporia is a special place to retiring Recreation Commission Director Tom McEvoy, and he said as much during an interview on KVOE’s Morning Show on Thursday.
After being a track athlete at the University of Kansas, where he got a degree in business administration, and getting a degree in parks and recreation management at Emporia State in 1986, McEvoy landed his first public recreation job as a program manager in Atchison in 1986. He then started in Emporia as a program director in 1987 after a call from then-director Lee Beran. He was promoted to assistant director in 1988 and director in 1999.
For years, McEvoy has said the Recreation Commission has needed more operations space than what the Lee Beran Recreation Center currently provides. He used two examples on the Morning Show.
Besides leading the Rec Commission for 25 years, McEvoy has also been heavily involved in the Kansas Parks & Recreation Association, being bestowed with its Distinguished Fellow Award in 2012. He has also been invested in the community through memberships in ESPI, Flint Hills Optimists and the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce. He has also been an adjunct professor for Emporia State’s parks and rec management classes.
McEvoy’s retirement plan? More time with children and grandchildren — and more time making barbecue sauce. He also plans to oversee at least one more state basketball tournament at White Auditorium.
