Hayes Perk Recalled Editor, The Herald: How 'quick some of us are to forget our public benefactors. In its June 22 DiScovery article, “Will the Real Peninsulans Please Stand Up?’, The Herald did gross injustice to a man whose public service to Pacific Grove is un- equalled. I' write of Hayes Perkins, my beloved friend, who single-handedly created that once beautiful, world- renowned, mile-long strip of garden along our waterfront. It is properly and officially called “Perkins Park.” It was neither created by nor preserved by “the foresight of the remarkable woman who preserved one of the nation’s great community gardens,” to quote the article. Hayes created his park from a jungle of briars and poison oak. He spent 20 or more years in the effort and paid a horrendous price. In addition to barrels .of sweat, a goodly amount of blood from torn hands, and a double hernia and badly shattered pelvis from falling down a cliff, he also suffered the frustration of fighting city hall. Hayes told me innumerable times, “When I am dead, the city will let all my work go to hell!” In addition to being civic minded and a top-flight gardener, Hayes was also an accurate prophet. Also, lest we forget: in his will, Hayes left several thousand dollars to the Pacific Grove library. John F. leper, Pacific Grove I l l ‘4—oc £3 1 I ,6}; ‘9“ . . ‘ 13;; ‘° Paelfl'c Grove Traveler Has 3..., r:- "‘4 W flower gardens. tended trip. is now winter. Praise For 5. American Parks Ad« Hayes Perkins of Pacific Grove, Who created Perkins Park in his home city, says that the South American people are a hundred years ' ahead of us in creating In a letter to his friend, A. B. Jacobsen, Perkins recently wrote from Lota, Chile, during an ex- “Valparaiso rises sharply from the sea, for the mountains crowd the coast,” Perkins’ letter said. “The climate is similar to that and trees. L of San Diego, and flowers bloom brightly in the parks although it natural beauty of Monterey pen, vis item unite in making the best'of what venfi they have. the a ‘ No Signs Sn.“ “One sees no ‘No Trespass’ Calif signs, they are not needed, butrit Th would be bad indeed for anyone peel“ who touched a flower. tent; “At Antofagasta in“ the desert met] country the water is piped 193 the miles from the ranges and its use tem is permitted only three hours plat daily, but they manage to have con beautiful parks by. scrimping, equ “At Taltal the water comes 125 sch miles, yet they have their flowers equ “I have seen no place with the tur insula, and if you people would c0l “These Latin people are a hun- get together in the matter of tic] dred years ahead of us in creat- parks as do these South Ameri- of ing lovely flower gardens, and all, cans its fame would be world- an the few rich and the many poor wide." ' In lilnmnmnu ill-n- r , OCR Text: Hayes Perk Recalled Editor, The Herald: How 'quick some of us are to forget our public benefactors. In its June 22 DiScovery article, “Will the Real Peninsulans Please Stand Up?’, The Herald did gross injustice to a man whose public service to Pacific Grove is un- equalled. I' write of Hayes Perkins, my beloved friend, who single-handedly created that once beautiful, world- renowned, mile-long strip of garden along our waterfront. It is properly and officially called “Perkins Park.” It was neither created by nor preserved by “the foresight of the remarkable woman who preserved one of the nation’s great community gardens,” to quote the article. Hayes created his park from a jungle of briars and poison oak. He spent 20 or more years in the effort and paid a horrendous price. In addition to barrels .of sweat, a goodly amount of blood from torn hands, and a double hernia and badly shattered pelvis from falling down a cliff, he also suffered the frustration of fighting city hall. Hayes told me innumerable times, “When I am dead, the city will let all my work go to hell!” In addition to being civic minded and a top-flight gardener, Hayes was also an accurate prophet. Also, lest we forget: in his will, Hayes left several thousand dollars to the Pacific Grove library. John F. leper, Pacific Grove I l l ‘4—oc £3 1 I ,6}; ‘9“ . . ‘ 13;; ‘° Paelfl'c Grove Traveler Has 3..., r:- "‘4 W flower gardens. tended trip. is now winter. Praise For 5. American Parks Ad« Hayes Perkins of Pacific Grove, Who created Perkins Park in his home city, says that the South American people are a hundred years ' ahead of us in creating In a letter to his friend, A. B. Jacobsen, Perkins recently wrote from Lota, Chile, during an ex- “Valparaiso rises sharply from the sea, for the mountains crowd the coast,” Perkins’ letter said. “The climate is similar to that and trees. L of San Diego, and flowers bloom brightly in the parks although it natural beauty of Monterey pen, vis item unite in making the best'of what venfi they have. the a ‘ No Signs Sn.“ “One sees no ‘No Trespass’ Calif signs, they are not needed, butrit Th would be bad indeed for anyone peel“ who touched a flower. tent; “At Antofagasta in“ the desert met] country the water is piped 193 the miles from the ranges and its use tem is permitted only three hours plat daily, but they manage to have con beautiful parks by. scrimping, equ “At Taltal the water comes 125 sch miles, yet they have their flowers equ “I have seen no place with the tur insula, and if you people would c0l “These Latin people are a hun- get together in the matter of tic] dred years ahead of us in creat- parks as do these South Ameri- of ing lovely flower gardens, and all, cans its fame would be world- an the few rich and the many poor wide." ' In lilnmnmnu ill-n- r , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Names of People about town,N through P File names,Perkins Life and Times,Perkins Life and Times 3, Perkins Life and Times 3