Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-07-27

Ericson's Big Job

NAV be added didn't bother to ask where ne was going
me authors of this article live in Wilton Conn.,, southern
New ENGLAND community 50 miles from New YORK CITY that
rounding out ITS second year of planned community recrea
ton Three wears aeo our residents voted to set up vean
recreation commission In the fall Of 1885, after year OF
careful ureparaton we hired Edward Ericsson, 1.-the cheerful
young of . with brste OF black na an easysoms
erin and college degree in sociology.
The recreation officials explained the prooiem: wilton
conservative reasonably prosperous town with large com
muter population. Our adults were concerned aooW inc
increasing number Of bright restless youngsters with lois OF
time ON their hands and nothing to do Encsons Joo We
thought was to stop delinquency before got started Since
then. both wilton and Ericsson have learned lot
ean counselor or some kind of substitute father Ericsson
savs 81 do all those things sometimes but recreation lot
b;aaer than that The idea is make community more FUN
for everyone to live in If you're going to have good pro-
gram you've got to involve the whole town.!
Everybody's In The Act
Involve" is putting mildly. Wilton has population Of
1000 In its first II months, CRD-panned activities Drew
total attendance of OO0 These included standbs like craft
and hobby courses learntoswim drive (ZZ5 enroledl
cook-outs skating parties, basketball league community
square dancing Others. novel, were local HOBO Day
when teenaee were challenged to look as eroe as pos
shle lean-froe contest toddlers Paper Bag Parade
through the town CENTER baseball clinic for wouidbe Little
Leagcrs fashion show Parrish Derby with Prize for tne
biggest fish, pet show with prize for the smallest pet tine
An Faster EGG Roll four ore hundred
YOUNGSTERS and their parents drew startling crowd OF 1000
There was an immediate problem: more egg hunters than
eggs!
sExicsoa besan faniicay blowing his whistle. nehser
Ao WAS uresent reminiscea The towns teenaeers re-
s,oned with ruh Lin less than two hoas they celeced COZ
ereA and nd nm thousand Tre was Only one Go1
e-im fhe emereemey, ots Of te dant ct eeeked!
The total bude for WtOns first year 81 planned recrea
ton was $4,000 This includes the DiretOrs salary Ere
son who IS married and has three young children drives
shool bus 10 supplement his income Like most Other CkDs,
ne Obtained his present position through an employment
rra service operated by the National Recreation AssOca-
ton.
One-Man Campaign
MANY laree cities have ueIlestablished programs Los
Anales spends ten million dollars yearly youth and adult
recTeation Chicago tops it with thirty million. What Is
really new however, the oneman suburban program Oh tne
kind Ericsson operates in Wilton.
This his second job His FIRST ISmonth stint IN kock-
land Maine was distinguished by successful attack on ne
local hot-rod problem.
They were great bunch Of youngsters but they wete
speed crazy said They spent all their spare TINS
burning up the roads and they wouldn't listen TO anyone
There was only thing for me to do II became not
rOdder"
Ericsson called in experts teach the difference oetween
wild speeding and skilled driving adjusted to conditions
kids driving habits changed radically he reported Dun
that wasn't ALL We undertook puohcfeiauom ps0
sram!'
Before long astonished adults in trouble on the msnwa,
found that carload Of teenaeers meant not more uOu