By Khalida Sarwari
In keeping with the tradition of planting a tree on Arbor Day in honor of a prominent member of the community, this month the city of Saratoga planted an oak outside the library in memory of Willys Peck, who died on April 16.
Members of Peck’s family, including his wife Betty, daughter Anna Rainville and granddaughter Sarah Rainville, were on hand to help.
If her husband were there, said Betty Peck, “he would rejoice.”
Mayor Jill Hunter remarked that it was a fitting way to honor a man who played an important role in saving Saratoga from being annexed into San Jose in 1956.
“Willys was a beloved, gentle, kind man and we will miss him for years to come,” she said.
The 45-minute long program opened with a performance by the Skillet Likkers and ended with the event’s first walk-a-thon around Heritage Orchard Park, sponsored by the city’s youth commission and recreation department.
Also new this year was a poster contest in which all school children were invited to participate. Hunter announced the names of the winners in the three age groups and awarded each a $50 gift certificate to a local merchant of their choice. The winners were Chrystal Wang, a third grader at Argonaut Elementary School; Edward Oh, a seventh grader at Redwood Middle School; and Eessa Vanderspek, a senior at Prospect High School.
The students’ posters were on display on tables inside the community room. There are also plans to display them around town. The idea behind the contest, said Hunter, was to “interact more with schools.”
“We had three outstanding winners,” she said.
After members of the city council presented a proclamation to librarian Gayathri Kanth, city arborist Kate Bear shared a story with the crowd about a goal that Hunter proposed in 2011 to plant 2,015 trees by 2015.
“I’m very pleased to tell you that today we have met that goal,” Bear said, and added that the city was a year and nine months ahead of schedule in meeting that target.
Blair Glenn, an arborist and owner of Saratoga Tree Service, gave a short speech about the history of the valley and the importance of planting fruit trees.
“I work all over this valley, but right here nestled in the hills we have a really special environment,” Glenn said. “All the positive things about this valley, let’s take advantage of that.”
At the end of the program, attendees picked up a free bag of compost and Japanese maple trees to take home.
This year marked Saratoga’s seventh annual Arbor Day celebration. The city has been a “Tree City” since 2008, which means it is part a national program that receives the framework for community forestry management along with other cities and towns across America.
