by Laura Ferguson

    City of San Clemente Recreation Coordinator Sherry Murphy received the Outstanding Park & Recreational Professional Award from the California Parks and Recreation Commission and Board Member Association. Ms. Murphy will receive her award from the association at a Sacramento conference in March.

    According to the association’s criteria, Al King, Beaches, Parks and Recreation Director said, “Sherry has a distinguished record of service to the park and recreation field that demonstrates a contribution which has advanced the park and recreation concept through foresight, planning and development to benefit the community and improve the ‘quality of life’ in San Clemente.”

    Included below are the many accomplishments and responsibilities of Ms. Murphy which lead the seven member San Clemente Parks and Recreation Commission to nominate Ms. Murphy for this special honor:

    Oversees Recreation Department cultural, educational and recreation classes, including 2,000 classes providing 160,000 recreation experiences for the community; Coordinates the rental and use of recreational facilities such as the Community Center, the Ole Hanson Beach Club and 19 parks; 

Designer and administrator of the Recreation Department website;

Program administrator for the software that powers the department’s computerized scheduling and reporting systems;

  • Serves as Registrar for City tournaments and competitions;

  • Assists private citizens in organizing weddings, anniversaries, and other cultural, recreational, and social events;

  • Serves as key information provider at the City’s recreation booth at the Ocean Festival, Fiesta and Cinco de Mayo; 

  • Organizes exhibits and displays in the Community Center reception area;

  • Promotes registration and course informational services for Senior Net Cyber Café;

  • Coordinates the City employee wellness program; and,

  • Serves as editor of the Recreation 

Services section of the San Clemente Magazine.

    In addition to her efforts in recreation programming, Ms. Murphy supervises the department's front desk operations. Her staff of three, plus part-time assistants, handle thousands of phone calls and the-day-to-day operations, receiving more than one million dollars in annual revenue from fees and rentals.

    The Parks and Recreation Commission included this statement in their application submission, “Like the City’s founder, Ole Hanson, Sherry, who began as a part-timer in the Recreation Department, considers the entire City as a park that should be fully enjoyed by all. Having been raised in Hanson’s original ‘…village by the sea,’ her knowledge and love of San Clemente is contagious.” 

    “Sherry is people-oriented and always has a positive attitude. We are very proud to have Sherry as a member of the City team and are most proud of her for receiving this distinguished honor for San Clemente,” said Mayor Joe Anderson.b