Neal Petties was a neighborhood hero and his neighbors were gathered at a San Diego Parks and Recreation Board meeting this month to urge that their century-old neighborhood park be renamed to honor him.
The board unanimously agreed to the change on July 20, and the audience applauded and cheered. The 14.8-acre green space will now be called Neal Petties Mountain View Community Park.
Petties was a San Diego High School and San Diego State University football star who went on to play professionally for the Baltimore Colts. When he left football, he dedicated himself to the young men and women in his community, where he was affectionately known as “Tall, Tan & Terrific,” “Pop” and “Daddy-O.”
He died June 6 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Parks and Recreation board member Dennis Otsuji cited Petties’ numerous accomplishments and contributions to the city in renaming the park.
“I knew him; we went to high school at the same time,” Otsuji said. “You wouldn’t believe all Neal participated in after his athletic days. He was also a great person and contributed very much to the city. Neil is looking down now and smiling at us.”
Daughter Sharon Jackson Petties was at the hearing and after the vote said, “I’m happy they named the park after him. Mountain View was his baby, an important part of his life, and everybody in the community was rooting for this to happen, I’m glad it passed.”
His son Anthony was moved by the vote. “As it was going down, goose bumps were going through my veins. It’s unbelievable you know. I never thought it would happen,” he said.
The city’s summary of the board action described why there was an effort to rename the park after Petties, recalling he worked in the Parks and Recreation Department in the 1970s and 1980s and “was a positive influence on the youth in the community and acted as a mentor to many.”
One of those he mentored is Jeffrey Hayes, who played a major role in the name change. “I am overjoyed,” he said. “I can’t really put it into words. It’s been a long time coming.”
Also important, said Hayes, are improvements to the park’s facilities. “Everything is fixed in the bathrooms and they are going to refurbish the tennis and basketball courts,” he said. “They are going to put a workout room out by the sandbox.”
A piece of artwork in the park, The “Black Family,” that once stood at 40th Street and Ocean View Boulevard, was vandalized and in poor condition, but Hayes said Assemblywoman Akilah Weber has secured funds in the state budget to rebuild this piece of community history. It featured four figures representing a husband, wife and two children and was created by artist Rossie Wade in the style of a traditional African wood carving.
The job is not finished though, according to Hayes. He believes that given the park’s age and the role it has played in the racial history of San Diego, it should be considered a candidate further recognition.
“I’m working on it now, getting the paperwork together,” he said.