January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 12
WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
40 Years of Law Review
Get to know James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., author of the monthly column
By Vitisia Paynich
or 40 years, James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., has contributed his
well-received Law Review columns to Parks & Recreation magazine.
To mark this notable anniversary, Parks & Recreation caught up with
him to learn more about his career in parks and recreation law and
the lessons he can share from four decades of authoring the column.
Parks & Recreation: What
inspired you to pursue a law
degree?
James Kozlowski: While completing
my masters and beginning the
doctoral program with a focus on
park resources at the University
of Illinois, I completed two graduate
courses in urban planning law,
which were taught by an attorney.
I saw a very interesting and unique
opportunity to develop a similar
non-traditional career path for myself
in parks and recreation law. To
do so, I thought I would need a law
degree while earning an income.
So, I left the Illinois doctoral program
and returned to Baltimore to
begin night law school at the University
of Maryland while working
as a claims representative for the
Social Security Administration in a
Baltimore branch office.
While attending law school, I
also was admitted to the recreation
doctoral program at the University
of Maryland College Park. After
earning my law degree, as part of
my doctoral program at Maryland,
I developed my course in parks and
recreation law, which focused on
negligence liability.
P&R: What drew you to the field
of parks and recreation?
Kozlowski: Growing up in Northeast
Philadelphia, until I left for college
in Baltimore, my life revolved
around my neighborhood park as
well as the recreation centers and
the free public pool where I learned
to swim. During high school, I also
worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor
at the local [YMCA] and
the Philadelphia Aquatic Club.
Following college in Baltimore
James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.
12 Parks & Recreation |
J ANUAR Y 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
F
and graduate school in Chicago, I
was a 10th grade English teacher
for one year in Baltimore County.
While swimming laps after school
at the local [YMCA], I realized
swimming had led me into teaching
and began to acknowledge that
I was more interested in pursuing
a career in parks and recreation as
opposed to continuing to work in
secondary education.
While it sounded like a fanciful
idea at first, I started to seriously
consider a career change to pursue
my interest in parks and recreation.
I read several books about recreation
related to agencies within
the [U.S.] Department of the Interior,
specifically the National Park
Service, and the old Bureau of
Outdoor Recreation. I also developed
a list and sent inquiries to the
major universities with graduate
programs in parks and recreation.
While I got a discouraging letter
from the department chair [at the]
University of Maryland, I got very
supportive replies from [University
of] Illinois [and The Pennsylvania
State University] where Dr. Betty
van der Smissen was department
chair. Betty had both a doctorate
in recreation and a law degree with
a legendary focus on legal liability.
Years later, I got to know Betty
who appreciated my work.
I applied and was accepted into
the master's program at [University
of] Illinois. Prior to leaving for Illinois,
a fraternity brother, who was
doing graduate work on the role of
urban parks in neighborhood reviPHOTO
COURTESY OF JAMES C. KOZLOWSKI
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2022 - Parks & Recreation
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 1
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 2
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 3
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 4
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 5
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 6
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 7
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 8
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 9
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 10
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 11
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 12
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 13
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 14
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 15
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 16
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 17
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 18
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 19
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 20
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 21
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 22
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 23
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 24
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 25
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 26
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January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 28
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 29
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 30
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 31
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January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 33
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 34
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 35
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 36
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 37
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 38
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 39
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 40
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 41
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 42
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 43
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 44
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 45
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 46
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 47
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 48
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 49
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 50
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 51
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 52
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 53
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 54
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 55
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 56
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com