Friday, Sep. 03, 2010

Plaque, oak trees to honor longtime resident

Tribute at Big Page Park is to the late Jim Lewellen

A memorial for a longtime resident will be placed at a city park within two months, and the person who spearheaded the effort is hoping it will start a trend.

John Spevak has received City Council approval to place a 5-by-7-inch plaque and plant two oak trees at Big Page Park on I Street in honor of Jim Lewellen, who died earlier this year.

"Anybody can do this," Spevak said. "What better way to remember somebody than to have some trees and a small plaque."

The city has a policy in place for memorials at parks. It includes getting approvals from the city's tree committee (of which Spevak is a member), Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council.

It also includes getting the funds for the memorial. The Lewellen memorial will cost about $600. The money will come from the Susan Spevak Plant-a-Tree Memorial Fund. The fund is named after Spevak's first wife, who died in the late 1990s.

Spevak said he's pleased the money will go toward Lewellen's memorial because, through the years, he was the biggest contributor to the fund.

Lewellen was not a Los Banos resident at the time of his death, but he had previously lived in the city for more than 25 years and was a big supporter of trees, Spevak said. He said Lewellen's contributions to Los Banos also included an economic element.

"He was the guy who brought Fisher Research labs to Los Banos," Spevak said. "He was responsible for a lot of jobs."

The memorial at Big Page Park will be the second plaque at the location. The Lions Club has its name on a plaque there as well.

Public Works Director Mark Fachin said when memorials are proposed at city parks, one of the things his staff considers is how many memorials are already there. Fachin said the Lewellen memorial will not be intrusive because it is not next to the Lions Club dedication and it's in an area where two trees used to be located. Big Page Park has a lot of vegetation, but the tree-line was broken when two trees fell years ago.

Spevak said if people did take up his suggestion and start putting memorials in parks, the system that's in place would prevent the plaques from overwhelming the area.

"It has to be OK'd by three different groups. [And] it's flat with the ground, you won't even see it from your car."

Spevak said he personally prefers memorials in parks go alongside something else: trees, a bench or a fountain.

Mayor Tommy Jones, who is a social studies teacher, said he believes the memorials will provide a slice of history for future generations.

"I think it creates some spots in history where a story can be told," Jones said.