Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
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The Hetch Hetchy Greenbelt was recently renamed the John W. Christian Greenbelt in memory of the former Sunnyvale director of parks and recreation, who died of cancer in 1996. Former city worker is honored Parks and recreation director posthumously celebrated for his service to Sunnyvale By Jana Seshadri It was due to John W. Christian's efforts that the unkempt and bare stretch of the Hetch Hetchy right of way in Sunnyvale was transformed into a landscaped greenbelt. The city of Sunnyvale has now rightfully acknowledged Christian's effortsÑalbeit posthumously. On June 10, the 80-foot-wide, 2.7-mile-long stretch of greenbelt that links Orchard Gardens Park on the Santa Clara border and Fairwood Park in Sunnyvale was dedicated to Christian and named the John W. Christian Greenbelt by the city. Under the bright midday sun, approximately 50 people—including Christian's wife and children, Sunnyvale residents, city officials and several former commissioners—gathered across the street from Lakewood Elementary School at the entrance to the greenbelt and shared fond memories of Christian. A former director of the Sunnyvale Parks and Recreation Department, Christian died from cancer in 1996. Students from Lakewood Elementary School's Kids Learning After School program, outfitted in red, white and blue costumes, performed to "I'm Proud to be an American" at the start of the dedication ceremony. Robert Walker, current director of Sunnyvale's parks and recreation department, spoke highly of his former boss of 14 years and Christian's love of the outdoors. "He had such an engaging personality," Walker said of Christian. "He would be embarrassed by our praise—appreciative, but not comfortable." Walker fondly recounted how Christian sent out hundreds of memos as director. Two words that inevitably appeared in almost every memo were "rest assured," Walker said. With the greenbelt transformed the way it has been, Christian can himself rest assured that it is being put to good use, he said. "We are truly humbled by this tremendous honor," said Kelsey, Christian's 21-year-old daughter. Christian's son, Cory, added that the family is proud of "such a tremendous dedication." Cory, 24, works for Alaska Airlines at San Francisco International Airport, and Kelsey is a student at San Jose State University. Both Cory and Kelsey said they are proud of their father and will carry on his beliefs and inspirations. In August 2001, upon the recommendation of the parks and recreation commission, the Sunnyvale City Council, spearheaded by then–Vice Mayor Fred Fowler's suggestion, approved the renaming of the Hetch Hetchy Greenbelt as the John W. Christian Greenbelt. 
Lakewood Elementary School's color guard: from left, Mike Khorozian, 11, Salvador Gomez, 11, Krisselle Lopez, 11, and, not seen, Amanda Le, 10, helped to celebrate the renaming of the Hetch Hetchy Greenbelt to the John W. Christian Greenbelt. Even though the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission owns the 2.7-mile stretch of land, Sunnyvale has had a lease agreement with the San Francisco Water Department since the 1970s to clean up the tract and build a bike and pedestrian path on it. Landscaping and beautification have converted the weed-covered easement into a paved bike and pedestrian path lined with grass, shrubs and tan bark. "It is a wonderful use of open space," said Cheryl Davis of the utilities commission. "We are delighted to be a partner in this effort." The Hetch Hetchy right of way extends east to west across the entire city. From Sunnyvale's eastern boundary at Calabazas Creek to just east of Mathilda Avenue, the 80-foot-wide strip of land links Fairwood Park/School and Orchard Gardens Park. Lakewood Park/School and the site of a proposed future park between Morse and Fairwood avenues are situated in the middle of the greenbelt stretch. The only remaining unimproved segment of the Hetch Hetchy Greenbelt in Sunnyvale is an approximately half-block section adjacent to the future site of Morse Avenue Park. During Christian's tenure as director of parks and recreation, from 1994 to 1995, seven additional acres of the Hetch Hetchy right of way were improved and landscaped as part of the Fairwood Park/School/Hetch Hetchy Open Space improvement project. 
A sign on a fence shows the newly renamed John W. Christian Greenbelt. "It's more and more necessary to have more and more places for families to get together and spend time together," said Fowler, currently mayor of Sunnyvale. Fowler read a letter from former Sunnyvale city manager Thomas Lewcock in which Lewcock wrote that he had hired Christian and brought him all the way to Sunnyvale from Minnesota. The letter stated, "Christian is one of the best selections of a department head I have ever made." |
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