By C.J. Hirschfield
I’ll never forget the day,
nearly 15 years ago, when I met Anne Woodell. It was at a Fairyland event, just
after I’d been hired as the park’s executive director. I found myself literally
backed into a corner, where Anne poked at my chest and told me what needed to
be done to continue moving Fairyland forward.
I was shocked. Who was this
woman, and what gave her the right to talk to me this way?
I quickly learned what many
people in Oakland knew quite well: that Anne Morrow Woodell was a fierce
advocate of parks and recreation, and never shy about promoting this cause.
Anne died on Jan. 25, and last
week a large crowd gathered at the Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate to honor her
life. In her eulogy, Mayor Libby Schaaf called Anne a “park superhero” and a “superhero
of citizenship,” and she was both. She was also my inspiration and a strong
ally. Last week, as I listened to all the admiring speeches, I realized that
one person — particularly a strong willed and persuasive one – can change the
face of an entire city.
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| Anne Woodell, 1936-2017. |
