Imagined Glassboro Mural Proposal: Community Parks

About the Cultural Geographers

Bennett Wilbert (usually going by Ben) is a Junior at Rowan University seeking a dual degree with a Bachelor's degree in History and Master’s degree in Education. Before attending Rowan, he went to community college at Rowan College at Burlington County in Mount Laurel, just outside of his hometown in Hainesport, New Jersey. Growing up, Ben was involved in many activities such as sports (track and field, cross-country, basketball, and baseball), reading, and various church groups. Additionally, he was heavily involved in the history program at Rancocas Valley Regional High School, where he took various electives such as Advanced Placement Government and Politics as well as Advanced Placement European History while also participating in the school’s Model United Nations club. Before the project, parks and nature as a community meeting place was an intriguing topic to Ben that relates to many of his past experiences. Some of his fondest childhood memories come from making close friends through sports teams or meeting up with friends for games at local parks. Even today, Ben goes on yearly backpacking trips with friends having visited locations such as Shenandoah National Park and The Catskills Mountain. As a result, studying Glassboro parks was the perfect opportunity to not only learn more about society, but also how parks have shaped his own life.

Jake Campbell is a Rowan Honors Student in the Radio, TV, and Film Major. He grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, where he spent his days swimming in the bay and hanging out with friends. One of his friends lived next to a huge forest, and Jake and him would spend hours exploring the area and climbing up to the hunting platforms in the trees. Through these experiences, Jake gained appreciation and curiosity for the vastness of nature. His passions include art, especially cartoons, video games, swimming, and exploring. Jake spent his High School Days fine tuning his cartoons, eventually designing and painting a mural and becoming Vice-President of the National Art Honors Society of Toms River High School East. He also gained a Varsity letter for his high school swim team, and achieved Honor Roll status before graduation. After coming to Rowan University and finding his footing, Jake joined the Outdoor Club, which would serve to show him some of the grandest views he’s ever experienced. Jake’s interest in this project stemmed from all these experiences, and a conversation about a Glassboro park he visited help create the foundation for the project. After hearing about the prior usage of the land at South Delsea Drive, as it once housed a German labor camp during World War II, Jake and his classmate Ben set out to uncover the history of the various nearby parks in Glassboro.

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