‘It’s a privilege to vote on this.’ Merced parks to be named after community heroes
Three beloved late members of the Merced community were formally honored this week with a wholehearted and unanimous decision by City Council to memorialize their legacies via the naming of parks.
Staff Sgt. Frank J. Gasper, a fallen local hero of the Iraq War, will serve as the namesake for a mini park located at Circle Drive and 23rd Street.
Another future park site at Freemark Avenue and Heitz Way will be known as General Vang Pao Park — named after the legendary local hero of the “Secret War” in southeast Asia.
Plus, a fully ADA accessible playground at that future park is to be called Aletha June Playground, after community advocate Aletha June Schelby Nel.
“The best word to encapsulate all three of them is heroic,” City Councilmember Kevin Blake said of the three deceased pillars of the community prior to the vote.
An additional mini park at 11th and H streets will hence be known as Little Angels Park/Parque De Los Angelito in remembrance of youth and families impacted by violence in south Merced.
Councilmember Jesse Ornelas, who was involved with developing the Little Angels Park/Parque De Los Angelito name in collaboration with families who lost loved ones to community violence, said the park is imagined as a place to heal from grief.
“They envision a park that would serve as a healing space, a place of grounding and a safe space for young people,” Ornelas said.
Trio represent best of Merced values
City officials and members of the public alike underscored the laudable values shown in the lives of each of the honorees.
Testimony from more than 20 public comments on Tuesday, plus even more letters of support written in advance, voiced strong support for City Council to approve the commemorative park names.
Gasper, a Merced resident who joined the military just after high school, served six years in the U.S. Army. He was on his fourth deployment in Iraq when he was killed by an explosion in May 2008.
Prior to his death, Gasper earned awards for contributions and good conduct as a soldier, according to testimony from his mother, Anita Richards.
To keep her son’s memory alive, Richards nominated Gasper to the Merced Recreation and Parks Commission’s call for park name applications.
“It would be a perfect reminder to the community how giving of yourself and serving others as Frank did is a great way to contribute to your community,” Richards said in the application.
Vang, revered by folks in the Hmong, Laotian and Mien communities in Merced and worldwide, led his people to the United States after the Vietnam War. He was recruited by the CIA to lead a guerrilla army of Hmong and Mien soldiers who fought communists in southeast Asia from 1961 to 1975.
Since the war’s end, thousands of Hmong were granted refugee status in the United States. Many settled in Valley cities like Sacramento, Fresno and Merced.
To help his people adjust, Vang established a chain of Lao Family Community centers that offered English and citizenship classes and provided Hmong social workers. He died in January of 2011 from heart failure.
“It’s been a long time in waiting, but now we’re going to have a park that’s named after General Vang Pao, and it’s a privilege to vote on this,” said Councilmember Fernando Echevarria.
Nel, who grew up in Merced, was a disabled resident who worked relentlessly to better the lives of communities both locally and abroad. She advocated for individuals with disabilities, supported the impoverished and was noted for her bright energy.
She spent a year in India with a nonprofit where she aided women in becoming financially stable. Nel intended to eventually return to Merced to begin a similar program in her hometown, but she died in October 2015 due to complications from childbirth.
Process to honor each of community member
After soliciting residents for park name applications in November, the Merced Recreation and Parks Commission unanimously decided to recommend to City Council that the Circle Drive and 23rd Street park be named after Gasper. Little Angels Park/Parque De Los Angelito was also approved without a hitch.
But applications, and letters of support, for both Vang and Nel were received for the same park sit at Freemark Avenue and Heitz Way, thus mandating some problem-solving from commissioners.
The commission contacted the applicants and approved a compromise: the park site would be named for Vang, while the ADA playground would be titled after Nel.
The applicants, which included members of Vang and Nel’s families, endorsed the solution, citing its inclusive spirit.
The supporters noted that the combination of names is appropriate, referring to a time when when both Vang and Nel each worked to help a local Hmong resident without one another’s knowledge.
“The way their lives crossed is pretty fitting and beautiful that their names will be connected to that park forever,” said Mayor Matt Serratto.
