Description: Papers of Charles Kestner Brightbill (1910-66), professor of recreation (1951-66) and department head (1957-66), including correspondence, mimeographed reports, copies of manuscripts, published articles, books, awards, scrapbooks and related material concerning recreation education, use of leisure time, meetings of professional associations, addresses and lectures, publications, municipal recreation studies and programs, armed forces recreation program (1949-51), recreation for the ill and the handicapped, recreation services of the state and federal governments, training recreation leaders, merging of professional organization in the recreation field, research and travel, the Department of Recreation and Municipal Park Administration appointments and biographical information.
Prof. Brightbill served as a recreation officer with Reading, Pennsylvania (1934-35), Decatur (1936-37), National Recreation Association (1938-41), Federal Security Agency (1942-46), Veterans Administration (1947-49) and the President's Committee on Religion and Welfare in the Armed Forces (1949-51) before coming to Illinois.