History
Can-Do Spirit Lives in Temecula
Between 1979 and 1982, before Temecula became a city, the area was a rural community of fewer than 4,000 people. There was no safe place for children, or adults, to play baseball or any other sports.
Mothers, fathers, adults and children pitched in to transform raw land, donated by Kaiser Corporation, into a sports park. They pulled weeds, planted trees and grass, held fund-raising barbecues, spaghetti dinners and other events, dug holes, and raised light poles so kids could play after the sun went down to escape the often uncomfortable heat of summer days.
Businesses and service organizations lent their talents and equipment, grading the land, feeding the volunteers, donating money and providing all the essentials that enabled the community to achieve its goal.
Understandably proud of its accomplishment, the community chronicled its progress in a scrapbook, collecting flyers and news clippings that were generated along the way.
Then, on March 3, 1983, the deeds of this group of volunteers was recognized by the President of the United States,Ron ald Reagan, who, while addressing the members of the United States Olympic Committee in Los Angeles, noted that one of the top priorities of his administration was to encourage the American people as individuals, as organizations in private and in business life to get more involved in getting things done, solving problems, and helping each other.
"Private initiative," he emphasized, " is our most precious American resource, and it's as alive today as it was when our ancestors used to join in barn-raising parties when it was needed for a neighbor."
The President cited examples of what can happen when the right spirit of "Can do" and "I will" replaces "Let's wait" and "I won't."
He spoke of "the folks in a rather small town, Temecula," who got together and built themselves a sports park," … "and now the young people of that community have baseball diamonds for Little League and other sports events, just due to what's traditional Americanism."
FRRSP was formed to help keep that spirit alive. As part of its effort, it has donated to theTemecula Valley Museum
On behalf of FRRSP, Gene Tobin, one of the volunteers who helped create the sports park, attempted the almost impossible job of compiling a list of those involved in the project.
The compilation (click on Our Contributors for a list), although regrettably incomplete, was gleaned from names in the scrapbook (also available at the Museum) and from the memories of some of the participants. It is dedicated to the people, businesses and organizations whose names appear in alphabetical order in the succeeding pages of this book, and to the many others who should appear but do not, because of faded memories and incomplete records. .
John Hunneman, columnist for The Californian and a founding board member of FRRSP, wrote a number of columns asking readers to send him the names of people they knew who contributed to the completion of the sports park. Many names discovered in this way were added to the list.
You are invited to augment the list with names of others you know who took part. Submit an e-mail to FRRSP, outlining the part played by the person or persons you mention and the name(s) will be added to this book, in the interests of history and so that others may be further inspired.
FRRSP is indebted to the Museum for providing an appropriate place where the public may learn of this proud period in Temecula history. We invite you to join us in keeping the spirit alive in our community, hopefully inspiring others to perform outstanding deeds of individual initiative.
If you have questions or you wish to get involved with FRRSP, in its effort to keep the Can-Do spirit alive, e-mail us at CanDo@RonaldReaganSportsPark.com. Remember, you CAN-DO too!
Mothers, fathers, adults and children pitched in to transform raw land, donated by Kaiser Corporation, into a sports park. They pulled weeds, planted trees and grass, held fund-raising barbecues, spaghetti dinners and other events, dug holes, and raised light poles so kids could play after the sun went down to escape the often uncomfortable heat of summer days.
Businesses and service organizations lent their talents and equipment, grading the land, feeding the volunteers, donating money and providing all the essentials that enabled the community to achieve its goal.
Understandably proud of its accomplishment, the community chronicled its progress in a scrapbook, collecting flyers and news clippings that were generated along the way.
Then, on March 3, 1983, the deeds of this group of volunteers was recognized by the President of the United States,
"Private initiative," he emphasized, " is our most precious American resource, and it's as alive today as it was when our ancestors used to join in barn-raising parties when it was needed for a neighbor."
The President cited examples of what can happen when the right spirit of "Can do" and "I will" replaces "Let's wait" and "I won't."
He spoke of "the folks in a rather small town, Temecula," who got together and built themselves a sports park," … "and now the young people of that community have baseball diamonds for Little League and other sports events, just due to what's traditional Americanism."
FRRSP was formed to help keep that spirit alive. As part of its effort, it has donated to the
On behalf of FRRSP, Gene Tobin, one of the volunteers who helped create the sports park, attempted the almost impossible job of compiling a list of those involved in the project.
The compilation (click on Our Contributors for a list), although regrettably incomplete, was gleaned from names in the scrapbook (also available at the Museum) and from the memories of some of the participants. It is dedicated to the people, businesses and organizations whose names appear in alphabetical order in the succeeding pages of this book, and to the many others who should appear but do not, because of faded memories and incomplete records. .
John Hunneman, columnist for The Californian and a founding board member of FRRSP, wrote a number of columns asking readers to send him the names of people they knew who contributed to the completion of the sports park. Many names discovered in this way were added to the list.
You are invited to augment the list with names of others you know who took part. Submit an e-mail to FRRSP, outlining the part played by the person or persons you mention and the name(s) will be added to this book, in the interests of history and so that others may be further inspired.
FRRSP is indebted to the Museum for providing an appropriate place where the public may learn of this proud period in Temecula history. We invite you to join us in keeping the spirit alive in our community, hopefully inspiring others to perform outstanding deeds of individual initiative.
If you have questions or you wish to get involved with FRRSP, in its effort to keep the Can-Do spirit alive, e-mail us at CanDo@RonaldReaganSportsPark.com. Remember, you CAN-DO too!
How Friends of Ronald Reagan SP Came To Be
While he was Mayor of Temecula, Mike Naggar made a motion to rename the City's sports park. Before deciding by formal vote whether or not to change the name of Rancho California Sports Park Ron aldReagan Sports Park Temecula City September 15, 2004 .
Among those who spoke in favor of renaming the park were: The Californian columnist John Hunneman, a navy veteran whose Commander-in-Chief wasRon ald Reagan; Adele Harrison, a former school teacher; Carol Strode, who with her father, Gene Tobin, was part of the volunteer army that built the sports park; and Strode's daughter, Hailey, who read aloud a letter she had written about why she admired the late President. The last to speak for the change was Perry Peters , who had served as vice chair of the Cityhood Committee that successfully petitioned to make Temecula a city in 1989.
On the Cityhood Committee, Peters had served under Chairman Jimmy Moore. Peg Moore, Jimmy's wife, served as secretary for the group. Peg, a former City Council Member, was a founding board member who served as secretary of the board of Friends ofRon ald Reagan SP (FRRP). Harrison and Strode are board members, as well. Hunneman is a founding member who has since resigned, due to his job's time constraints.
Not content to settle for what he believed would only be a superficial exercise, Peters asked that the name change be given greater meaning with a new expression of the Can-Do spirit by the present day residents of Temecula.
He asked that costs associated with the name change, any monument built to commemorate it, and dedication ceremonies, be paid for by funds raised voluntarily in the community. The former Temecula Chamber of Commerce manager was convinced that the occasion was an opportunity to highlight and demonstrate the spirit of personal initiative that was truly a human resource abundant in the community. He felt that the spirit should be captured, encouraged and perpetuated.
Accordingly, with a group of Can-Do volunteers, he formed FRRSP, a non-profit organization that would serve as the vehicle for raising the funds needed to accomplish its stated objectives, which were:
Even before FRRSP was formally organized, Hunneman, who was a founding board member, wrote a series of columns in The Californian drawing attention to the need to identify as many of the people who worked on the sports park as possible. For his efforts, he was commended by then Mayor Naggar "for being a prime moving party in renaming our sports park after the late President."
OnMarch 3, 2005 , exactly twenty-two years after President Reagan addressed the United States Ron aldReagan Sports Park Steve Aquilino awarded lapel pins to 16 of the Club's founding members. Kenneth Dodd, owner of Final Touch Mark eting, who was recognized as the designer of the Can-Do pin, also said a few words.
By the involvement of FRRSP in the dedication ceremony, by the publicity and interest it raises through various activities it generates in its efforts to reach its fund-raising goal to build the first phase of a monument commemorating the community's Can-Do spirit, and through a number of special projects it is developing for this purpose, the children of Temecula will get a better understanding of the value and impact of individual initiative.
They will be reminded, repeatedly and in many different ways (the best way to learn), that they are expected to put into practice, and pass to those who follow them, the legacy of private enterprise.
Not every city can rightfully claim such a proud history. President Reagan didn't create it, but he did laud its existence - and he did help create FRRSP. Temecula is not unique. Examples of the inherent goodness of the American psyche occur daily, in Temecula and throughout our nation. We encourage other communities to find a way to do what we are doing.
FRRSP salutes this help-thy-neighbor instinct, a positive attribute that resides in each of us, waiting for the right moment to emerge. We want to help bring out this Can-Do spirit and keep it alive, to spread the spirit of individual initiative.
Accordingly, we are taking concrete actions that we believe will be effective in making more of us conscious of this latent human resource, and creating the positive energy to produce tangible results. By praising such actions in others, as President Reagan did, FRRSP is working to inspire more people to action, to produce deeds worthy of praise, whether recognized or not.
And we are leading by example, raising funds voluntarily and privately, to accomplish this worthwhile goal. Keeping the Can-Do spirit alive in Temecula is a challenging task, and although FRRSP is just months old, we have been busy.
We worked with a subcommittee of the City ofTemecula Mike Naggar and Maryann Edwards to select a monument design. We approved a submission by Christopher Pardell, who also designed the Veterans Memorial at the Duck Pond in Temecula. With their help, we received City Council approval of the design.
At the request of Edwards and FRRSP, Ken Dodd, veteran Temecula entrepreneur and president of Final TouchMark eting, is working with us and the City subcommittee to come up with a memorable depiction that will capture the essence of President Reagan's recognition and the volunteer effort that earned it. . Rancon Realtor Gene Tobin, a member of the original group that rallied friends and neighbors to convert a weed and dirt field into a sports park, has compiled a partial list of names of people who helped in that initial effort. That list, along with a scrap book containing news articles printed in local papers from 1979 to 1982 - the time it took to finish the job - may be viewed at the Temecula Valley Museum
Tobin firmly believes that of the approximately 4,000 people who lived in this area at that time, practically ever one of them had a hand in helping in one way or another. If you know people who belong on the list, but are not named, you are invited to click on Contact Us and submit details of their participation, so their names can be added.
Anyone who wants to hear the Presidential speech that mentioned Temecula may now do so by visiting the Museum and requesting an opportunity to hear it. An audio CD of the speech was donated to the Museum by the Friends ofRon ald Reagan SP.
FRRSP board memberDaniel S. Venne , CPA, gained approval of 501(c)(3) non-profit status for the organization. Donors may receive a tax deduction for helping to perpetuate the Can-Do spirit of Temecula. The Law Offices of Dennis Fabozzi filed Articles of Incorporation papers of the non-profit corporation with the Secretary of State. Ed Miller of the Fabozzi firm served on the board to help us through the process.
Harrison is exploring ways to raise student awareness of our proud Can-Do heritage, and to inculcate that spirit in our younger generations as early in their development as is practical. She has written a lesson plan for Temecula third grade social studies classes to learn the history of Ron aldReagan Sports Park U.S. March 3, 2007 , at the Community Recreation Center Ron aldReagan Sports Park
To further strengthen the Can-Do spirit, FRRSP is establishing an annual award, to be presented on the anniversary date of President Reagan's speech. FRRSP will recognize an ordinary person, of any age, who has never before been recognized publicly in Temecula, and who, using individual initiative and without government funds or assistance, has accomplished something extraordinary that is of lasting value to the community.
To fuel FRRSP programs and help raise funds it needs to do the job, a Can-Do Club has been established. By paying dues of $100 annually, anyone can join and attend the annual FRRSP board meeting. A distinctive lapel pin is awarded to identify each Can-Do Club member.
As you can see, a web site has been established, with the patient assistance of Dwight Jenkins of Rainbow Flair Web Design of Menifee. Other benefits may be developed later.
In the spirit of individual initiative, FRRSP is taking these and other positive steps to see that more of us are aware that this Can-Do spirit continues to thrive in Temecula. This inherent goodness of the American spirit merits our attention.
We are grateful to the City ofTemecula Ron aldReagan Sports Park Temecula
(NOTE: You can make a commitment to follow in the footsteps of the original volunteers and donors and keep the spirit alive by clicking on Join the Can-Do Club and making a contribution to Friends ofRon ald Reagan SP. Upon completing the application provided, and paying dues of $100 a year, either online or by mail, you can become a Can-Do Club member.)
Among those who spoke in favor of renaming the park were: The Californian columnist John Hunneman, a navy veteran whose Commander-in-Chief was
On the Cityhood Committee, Peters had served under Chairman Jimmy Moore. Peg Moore, Jimmy's wife, served as secretary for the group. Peg, a former City Council Member, was a founding board member who served as secretary of the board of Friends of
Not content to settle for what he believed would only be a superficial exercise, Peters asked that the name change be given greater meaning with a new expression of the Can-Do spirit by the present day residents of Temecula.
He asked that costs associated with the name change, any monument built to commemorate it, and dedication ceremonies, be paid for by funds raised voluntarily in the community. The former Temecula Chamber of Commerce manager was convinced that the occasion was an opportunity to highlight and demonstrate the spirit of personal initiative that was truly a human resource abundant in the community. He felt that the spirit should be captured, encouraged and perpetuated.
Accordingly, with a group of Can-Do volunteers, he formed FRRSP, a non-profit organization that would serve as the vehicle for raising the funds needed to accomplish its stated objectives, which were:
| (a) | To recognize in a permanent and appropriate manner individuals, organizations and businesses that contributed to the construction of the original |
| (b) | To raise funds privately, without government monies, for a monument to be placed at the |
| (c) | To raise funds on a continuing basis to help perpetuate can-do spirit in our community in other appropriate ways. |
On
By the involvement of FRRSP in the dedication ceremony, by the publicity and interest it raises through various activities it generates in its efforts to reach its fund-raising goal to build the first phase of a monument commemorating the community's Can-Do spirit, and through a number of special projects it is developing for this purpose, the children of Temecula will get a better understanding of the value and impact of individual initiative.
They will be reminded, repeatedly and in many different ways (the best way to learn), that they are expected to put into practice, and pass to those who follow them, the legacy of private enterprise.
Not every city can rightfully claim such a proud history. President Reagan didn't create it, but he did laud its existence - and he did help create FRRSP. Temecula is not unique. Examples of the inherent goodness of the American psyche occur daily, in Temecula and throughout our nation. We encourage other communities to find a way to do what we are doing.
FRRSP salutes this help-thy-neighbor instinct, a positive attribute that resides in each of us, waiting for the right moment to emerge. We want to help bring out this Can-Do spirit and keep it alive, to spread the spirit of individual initiative.
Accordingly, we are taking concrete actions that we believe will be effective in making more of us conscious of this latent human resource, and creating the positive energy to produce tangible results. By praising such actions in others, as President Reagan did, FRRSP is working to inspire more people to action, to produce deeds worthy of praise, whether recognized or not.
And we are leading by example, raising funds voluntarily and privately, to accomplish this worthwhile goal. Keeping the Can-Do spirit alive in Temecula is a challenging task, and although FRRSP is just months old, we have been busy.
We worked with a subcommittee of the City of
At the request of Edwards and FRRSP, Ken Dodd, veteran Temecula entrepreneur and president of Final Touch
Tobin firmly believes that of the approximately 4,000 people who lived in this area at that time, practically ever one of them had a hand in helping in one way or another. If you know people who belong on the list, but are not named, you are invited to click on Contact Us and submit details of their participation, so their names can be added.
Anyone who wants to hear the Presidential speech that mentioned Temecula may now do so by visiting the Museum and requesting an opportunity to hear it. An audio CD of the speech was donated to the Museum by the Friends of
FRRSP board member
To further strengthen the Can-Do spirit, FRRSP is establishing an annual award, to be presented on the anniversary date of President Reagan's speech. FRRSP will recognize an ordinary person, of any age, who has never before been recognized publicly in Temecula, and who, using individual initiative and without government funds or assistance, has accomplished something extraordinary that is of lasting value to the community.
To fuel FRRSP programs and help raise funds it needs to do the job, a Can-Do Club has been established. By paying dues of $100 annually, anyone can join and attend the annual FRRSP board meeting. A distinctive lapel pin is awarded to identify each Can-Do Club member.
As you can see, a web site has been established, with the patient assistance of Dwight Jenkins of Rainbow Flair Web Design of Menifee. Other benefits may be developed later.
In the spirit of individual initiative, FRRSP is taking these and other positive steps to see that more of us are aware that this Can-Do spirit continues to thrive in Temecula. This inherent goodness of the American spirit merits our attention.
We are grateful to the City of
(NOTE: You can make a commitment to follow in the footsteps of the original volunteers and donors and keep the spirit alive by clicking on Join the Can-Do Club and making a contribution to Friends of
Naming Our Park
What does a great president have in common with a great city like Temecula?
So what has that got to do with Temecula? And what makes Temecula so great?
Reagan once owned land in the Temecula Valley, many years before we became a city. The late Don Rohrbacher, father of now Congressman Dana Rohrbacher, resided here. In the early 1980s, Dana was a speechwriter for the President.
More than 20 years ago, President Reagan was speaking at a luncheon meeting of the
He gave that speech on March 3, 1983. "One of the top priorities of our administration," he explained, "has been to encourage the American people as individuals, as organizations in private and in business life to get more directly involved in getting things done, solving problems, and helping each other. Private initiative," Reagan recognized, "is our most precious American resource, and it's as alive today as it was when our ancestors used to join in barn-raising parties when it was needed for a neighbor."
The President cited examples of what can happen when the right spirit of "Can do" and "I will" replaces "Let's wait" and "I won't."
He spoke of "the folks in a rather small town, Temecula." (At the time, we were a rural community with a population of under 4,000.) "They got together and built themselves a sports park, held fundraising barbecues and dinners. And those that didn't have money, volunteered the time and energy. And now the young people of that community have baseball diamonds for Little League and other sports events, just due to what's traditional Americanism."
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of residents, businesses and service organizations in the area chipped in. Companies large and small offered the use of earth-moving and other equipment, services and supplies. Restaurants fed the volunteers. Parents and children pulled weeds and planted trees. It was a three-year effort, and in the end, the people of Temecula had their sports park.
Any visitor who cares to delve more deeply can get the flavor of what went on by visiting the
That was Temecula then, but what makes Temecula great today?
More than half a century ago, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote a book called, "The Power of Positive Thinking." It was a best seller and made him a popular speaker and author. A preacher, he got his inspiration from the Bible. His premise was studied, used to pursue one or another motivational aspect of the concept, embellished and distorted, and by the time he died in 1993, at age 95, his once exciting insight had faded from public memory.
Nevertheless, great ideas have a way of sticking with us and it helped that the President was a deeply religious man and a product of the Norman Vincent Peale era. In his heart and mind, the can-do spirit was nurtured and he applied it in his personal and public life. "Mr. Khrushchev! Tear down that wall!" Talk about the power of positive thinking!
These days, teachers struggle with the challenge of instilling in their students a feeling of purpose and self worth. Two points in history, the destruction of the
In one, the most powerful individual in the world, the President of the
This, of course, is an oversimplification. In the case of the
The nay-sayers would have you dismiss this element of human self-engineering. The truth is, nothing gets done without someone - many someones - with enthusiasm behind it, pushing. Enthusiasm often is ignited by the example of others.
Dr. Peale probably influenced President Reagan. The President no doubt motivated
After President Reagan died, John Hunneman mentioned in his column in The Californian that the President, years earlier, had talked about the great people of Temecula in one of his speeches. To Naggar, the tremendous outpouring of affection for the late President at his death was a sign that the moment was right to name the sports park after him.
Naggar had the name change put on the agenda of the Community Development Commission, which has jurisdiction over the City's parks. The motion passed, 5 - 0, but final authority rested in the City Council, sitting as members of the Community Development District, which voted, 5 - 0, to officially change the name of Rancho California Sports Park to
Finally, on
