JOHN F. REGINATO

John F. Reginato died at a hospice in Tacoma, Wash., on Saturday, July 28, 2007 in the company of his family. He was 89.

John was born near the banks of the Sacramento River in the town of Delta in 1918 to Louis Reginato and Marria Bernardi, immigrants from northern Italy.

He graduated from Dunsmuir High School in 1935 and attended Modesto Junior College for two years. John worked briefly as a reporter for the Dunsmuir News for $18 a week and set his sights on a career in journalism.

In 1949 he turned down a chance to direct the prestigious Chicago Boat Show and accepted the general manager's position with the fledgling Shasta-Cascade Wonderland Association in Redding.

"I guess I would have rather eaten beans in Redding than caviar in Chicago," he would later say.

As general manager of Shasta-Cascade for 41 years he promoted all phases of outdoors and regional tourism for the eight-county northern California area and inspired millions to go fishing, boating, hunting, camping and traveling.

His white beard gave him a Hemmingway-like appearance and his knowledge about outdoor tourism was riveting, gaining the confidence of major newspaper and magazine writers. Through his untiring efforts, never before had the North State gained so much credibility and public exposure
throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Reginato became known as "the father of houseboating" at Shasta and Trinity lakes and his vision helped develop the concept of "rails to trails," starting with the 25-mile Biz Johnson Trail near Susanville. He pioneered
boating and fishing access for the public, developing 20 new boat ramps, including sites along the Sacramento River in Redding and at Lake Shasta. John also was credited with helping establish the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and the Sacramento River Trail.

"You can't put a price on what he did for the community," said Don Gallino, a Redding community leader. "He was a true North State legend."

Reginato's public service was without equal. He served four years as national vice-president of the Red Cross, eight years on the state Harbors and Watercraft Commission, 10 years on the federal Bureau of Land Management advisory board.

He truly cared about the outdoors and people, was unselfish and worked for modest wages. Reginato would often say, in his self-effacing manner, "You know, in the end, all that you have is your name."

His dedicated service didn't go unnoticed, however. Reginato was inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2004 and the California Tourism Hall of Fame in 1988 with such notables as Bob Hope, Roy Rogers, Clint Eastwood, Shirley Temple Black, Robert Mondavi and Wolfgang Puck.

He was a founding member of the Outdoor Writer Association of California, serving as its first secretary, and received a special award for promoting tourism from Gov. George Deukmejian.

Reginato was most comfortable roaming the outdoors, discovering trails and historic sites, bird hunting with his long-line of Brittany spaniels and waxing about his beloved Shasta-Cascade region. He was an avid hunter, fisher and boater and an award-winning photographer, whose knowledge was
unparalleled.

In 2006 John and his wife, Elizabeth, left their longtime home in Redding's Parkview neighborhood and moved to Washington to be closer to their son. Before he left he donated a lifetime collection of photographs, slides and memorabilia to the Shasta County Historical Society.

He was a member of many civic organizations including the Elks Club and St. Joseph's Catholic Church, where he often would serve as a lay reader.

His family invites their friends to St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Redding for Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 17, 2007, followed by committal at noon to Veteran's Memorial Cemetary in Igo. A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. at Best Western Hilltop Inn in Redding.