William B. Pond

POND, William B.
The Father of the American River Parkway, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 20, 2009, after a long illness. He was 91. In 1959, Pond became the first Director of Parks and Recreation for Sacramento County. He later directed the Sacramento City and County Housing Authority, served as the Executive Director of the American Association of Recreation and Parks, headed the Sacramento County General Services Agency, and finally, directed the Discovery Museum Science and Space Center. Pond's contributions to Sacramento spanned five decades. His work in the region added importantly to Sacramento's rich quality of life.

As the director of the newly formed Department of Parks and Recreation, Pond anticipated the need to provide recreational facilities to the county's burgeoning population while also preserving the region's precious natural beauty. Working closely with an active and sympathetic Board of Directors and the County Executive, Marty Tarshes, and a activist community group, Save the American River Association (SARA) and SARA's guiding light, Effie Yeaw, Pond was able to enlist the active support of major landholders along the river, including the Teichert Corporation, and the family of Charles Deterding, the first County Executive. The result of this vision, the American River Parkway, includes an unbroken system of public access along the river from Nimbus Dam to where it joins the Sacramento River. The Parkway has gained national attention and currently serves 8.5 million people annually. In 1983, the County honored Pond by renaming the Arden Bar riverside parkland in his honor; the William B. Pond Recreation Area comprises 269 acres of land, largely preserved in its natural state.

Pond was a deeply committed Christian and was active in the Westminster Presbyterian Church. With his wife of 69 years, Eloise, he spent many hours working with the churchs youth programs. He was happiest when he worked with young people, whether as a high school teacher in a rural Washington town, a Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts, greeting school classes in the Discovery Museum, or helping Eloise teach English skills to recently immigrated teens in his retirement years.

Eloise and Bill Pond raised three children: Cheryl Azbill (deceased), Karen, and Steven (Susan). Their five grandchildren, Monique Goodger (Tim), Rachel Camero (Isaac), Cade Kavouras, Heather Lacey (Steven), and Mackenzie Pond, and four great-grandchildren miss Bill, but are all thankful for his wisdom, tenderness, and love.

William Pond's friends are invited to a celebration of his life on Saturday, September, 26 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1300 N Street, Sacramento, ph. (916) 442-8939. The service will begin at 10:00 a.m., and there will be a reception following.

Donations in Pond's name can be sent to the American Heart Association, 2007 O St., Sacramento, CA 95811-5211, ph. (916) 446-6505.