Snubbing Theodore?
The Minneapolis Parks Legacy Society's Wirth-While Weekend, which celebrated Theodore Wirth and the development of the Minneapolis park system, took place this past weekend (June 18 to June 20).
The highlight of the weekend was the unveiling of a bronze statue of Theodore Wirth, a generous gift to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the people of Minneapolis by donors Mr. and Mrs. John Richter and other Legacy Society supporters.
Park Board Commissioners John Erwin, Rochelle Berry-Graves, Walt Dziedzic, Vivian Mason, Jon Olson and Annie Young were present at the unveiling ceremonies as well as many of the other events, where they were participants. Also present at the unveiling and other events were 60 plus members of the Wirth family who came to Minneapolis from all over the country and as far away as Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland.
Not present, however, at the unveiling or any of the other many weekend events were Park Board Commissioners Carole Kummer, Bob Fine and Marie Hauser. Apparently, for these three commissioners, honoring the father of our park system was not a Wirth-While priority.
Webmaster's note: The preceding commentary arrived in the webmaster's mailbox yesterday. It was signed, but the writer, who is a private citizen and was not part of the event planning, has asked that his or her name be withheld.