By C.J. Hirschfield
Last week I was honored to
attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the William Penn Mott, Jr., Presidio Visitor Center in San Francisco. It was a stunningly sunny day, with the Golden
Gate Bridge glowing in the distance. The event honored a diverse city, the
power of partnerships, and the legacy of a man who devoted his life to supporting
public parks.
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| National Park Service mounted police at the Presidio. |
But
before he ran the U.S. National Park Service – before he directed California’s
parks and recreation department, before he was general manager of the East
Bay Regional Park District – William Penn Mott, Jr., was superintendent of
parks for the City of Oakland. While he held that job he created Children’s
Fairyland. And many millions of kids (and parents) are thankful for that
achievement.
