What's in a name at our local parks?

Most parks in Salem are named for geographical locations, neighborhoods, subdivisions and streets.

In some cases, they are named for people who have distinguished themselves in their field or made a difference in our community. They were governors, judges, educators, city council members and community activists.

Let us introduce them to newcomers and remind longtime residents of their influence.

A guide to Salem parks named after people, organized alphabetically by area:

North

Geer Community Park:  241 Geer Drive NE, with 26 of 46 acres developed.

Name: The property was named after one of the earliest pioneer families in Oregon. Theodore Geer served as the governor of Oregon from 1899 to 1903. Family members have lived in the Salem area for 155 years on a portion of the original 640-acre homestead east of Salem.

Amenities: Two soccer fields and two baseball fields. Phase 2 of the facility will develop additional fields as well as basketball courts, play equipment and a picnic pavilion.

Hammond School Park: 4900 Bayne Street NE, with nearly an acre of undeveloped property, purchased in 2005, adjacent to Hammond Elementary School.

Name: The school was founded in 2001 and named after Geraldine Hammond, an education trailblazer and Salem's first African American female principal in 1976. She was served stints at Rosedale and Pringle elementary schools, and also helped coordinate the district's multicultural program.

Amenities: The .98-acre parcel is undeveloped.

Harry and Grace Thorp Park: 1400 38th Ave. NE, with the 1.3-acre parcel donated by Fred Meyer, Inc. in 1978.

Name: The project was completed in 2004 and a park name change was submitted to city council by the Northeast Neighborhood Association. Harry and Grace Thorp were both active in the community, with Harry serving on the city council for Ward 6 from 1983 to 1994, and Grace serving on the Salem-Keizer School Board.

Amenities: Multipurpose court, play equipment and an open play field.

McKay School Park: 2755 Hollywood Drive NE, with the 24-acre park adjacent to McKay High School.

Name: The school was built in 1979 and named after former Gov. Douglas McKay, a World War I and II veteran, and a successful car dealership owner before venturing into politics. He served as a city councilor and mayor of Salem before being elected to the Oregon Senate, and then as the 25th governor in 1948. McKay left office before the end of his term to serve as Secretary of the Interior during the Eisenhower administration.

Amenities: Tennis courts, playground, exercise stations, basketball court, two soccer fields and jogging/walking trails.

McRae Park: 2051 Chemeketa St. NE, with the 2.5-acre park purchased in 1956.

Name: Originally known as Royal Park, because of its location on Royal Street NE, the name was changed in 1979 in memory of Richard McRae. A quiet and modest man, McRae's unselfish work to improve the Northeast Neighborhood was an inspiration to his neighbors and the association board. He died in 1978.

Amenities: Play areas and an open field.

Richmond School Park: 540 Richmond St. SE, with the 2.9-acre park next to Richmond Elementary.

Name: The school was named after the Richmond Addition area of Salem, which was in turn named after Rev. J.P. Richmond, a Methodist minister who worked with the Flathead Indians in the late 1830s.

Amenities: Playground, ball field, multipurpose court and basketball court.

Stephens-Yoshikai School Park: 4962 Hayesville Dr. NE, a 17-acre undeveloped area between Stephens Middle School and Yoshikai Elementary purchased in 1995.

Name: The middle school, dedicated in 1995, was named for Adam Stephens, a pioneer who came to Salem in 1849. He opened a general merchandise store, was a skilled carpenter, served as justice of the peace for Marion and Polk counties and donated land to build a church and the school. The elementary school, dedicated in 1994, was named for Alyce Yoshikai, a teacher, principal and administrator for Salem-Keizer School District for 39 years. Yoshikai died Sept. 6, 2016. She was 87.

Amenities: None yet, although the development of a cricket field is underway.

Waldo Park: 605 Summer St. NE, with only a heritage tree in a 12-feet-by-20-feet space that makes up what is one of the smallest parks in the United States.

Name: The downtown park is named for Judge William Waldo, a lawyer who came to Salem in 1843 and later became a Marion County judge. He lived on an estate in what is now the center of Salem. A traveling salesman sold a redwood sapling to Waldo in 1872, and he planted it on the corner of his property, now the junction of Union and Summer streets NE. As the town grew, Waldo sold his land with the stipulation that the redwood be preserved. The tree and ground around it were dedicated as a city park in 1936.

Amenities: The tree, now more than 85 feet tall, landscaping and a park sign.

SOUTH

Aldrich Park: 1550 Mill Street SE, with the 1.25-acre park having been purchased in 1950.

Name: After a .51-acre piece of tax-reverted land known as Mill Street Park was set aside for park purposes in 1950, the opportunity to provide a larger, more highly developed urban park was made possible with a donation of from the Donna W. Aldrich Trust and a matching open space grant from HUD. The park was then renamed Lewis P. Aldrich Park. The trust also was used to expand the Grant School Park.

Amenities: Ball field, multipurpose court and playground. In 2005, the Salem-Keizer School District built a new school adjacent to the park property.

Bill Riegel Park: 4567 Campbell Street SE, with 3.5 acres in this undeveloped area purchased in 1996.

Name: It was named in 1998 after Bill Riegel, former city councilor and chair of the Southeast Mill Creek Association. He served on the city council from 1991 to 1995, and he started the neighborhood association where the park is located. Riegel died in 1995.

Amenities: Playground area and basketball half court.

Bryan Johnston Park: 400 Mildred Lane SE, with the 8-acre spread on top of a hill in South Salem opening in 2011.

Name: One of the newest neighborhood parks in Salem, it was named after Bryan Johnston, a longtime Salem resident and active member of the community. Johnston was a lawyer and professional mediator who served as a state representative in the Oregon Legislature from 1995 to 1999, and in a variety of administrative positions in higher education and human services. He died in 2008.

Amenities: Unique play equipment for all age groups, basketball court, wide concrete pathways, soft trails, and two checkerboard tables.

Bush’s Pasture Park: 890 Mission St. SE, with more than half of the 90.5-acre park donated by its namesake.

Name: The park is named for Asahel Bush II, an influential Oregon pioneer. Bush started the Oregon Statesman, which relocated to Salem when the capital was moved here, and he later founded the Ladd and Bush Bank. His estate is preserved at the park and his home, the Bush House, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Amenities: Too many to list, but include lighted tennis courts, ball fields, four playground areas, walking/jogging/bike paths, horseshoe courts and a Soap Box Derby track.

Lee School Park: 5500 Battle Creek Road SE, with the 3.8-acre parcel purchased in 2000 near Lee Elementary School currently undeveloped, and not to be confused with the neighborhood park on Lee Street SE.

Name: The school was built in 2002 and named for Bob and Susie Lee, both longtime educators in Salem. Bob taught science first at Judson Junior High, then at Sprague High School, and finally worked as an administrator for Salem-Keizer School District before retiring in 2000. Susie taught for several years at Liberty and then Sumpter elementary schools before becoming an elementary administrator. She was the principal at Schirle Elementary when she retired in 2001.

Amenities: The park is currently undeveloped

Minto-Brown Island Park: 2200 Minto Island Road SE, with total acreage reaching 1,205 after a recent purchase of 307 acres of Boise Cascade property.

Name: The park is named after the former owners of the two islands. In 1857, Isaac "Whiskey" Brown made his way up the Columbia and Willamette Rivers from Astoria and established his home on an island which became known as Brown's Island, near the west bank of the Willamette River. The colorful and untidy Brown raised livestock, farm produce and tobacco. Ten years later, John Minto purchased and cleared land on an island near the east bank, turning it into productive farmland. That island would later come to be named Minto Island. Today, the land they settled are no longer true islands, due to flooding that changed the flow of the river.

Amenities: 19 miles of trails, several fishing spots, paddle boat area, playground, paved bike paths, approximately 30 acres of designated off-leash dog area, and a pedestrian bridge that crosses the river and connects to Riverfront Park. The bridge is scheduled for completion in fall 2016.

Wendy Kroger Park: 200 Arlene Ave. SE, with the 7-acre park one of the city's newer park developments.

Name: Previously called Cannery Park, city council approved the name change in 2004 to dedicate this park to long-time city volunteer and park advocate, Wendy Kroger, who also played a significant role in the acquisition of the grant to develop the park.

Amenities: Playground, basketball court, tennis wall, walking/jogging paths and BMX trail.

Wes Bennett Park: 2200 Baxter Road SE, with the 4.4-acre property adjacent to Pringle Elementary School developed in 2007.

Name: Another relatively new park in Salem, city council voted to change the name from Pringle Park to Wes Bennett Park in memory of the former city councilor. Bennett was a retired public-works official who entered Salem politics in 1998 after serving as chairman of the South Gateway Neighborhood Association for several years.

Amenities: Splash fountain, play equipment, basketball court, walking paths and picnic tables/benches.

WEST

Bob and Pat Straub Nature Park: Off Doaks Ferry Road NW, with 10 acres of undeveloped land behind the middle school bearing the former governor's name.

Name: Bob and Pat Straub were renowned for their love of Oregon and their efforts to preserve its natural beauty. He was at the forefront of the environmental movement while serving as governor (1974-78), with his efforts to protect public use and open access to Oregon's beaches and his support for the statewide land-use program, and she helped shape and support his environmental views.

Amenities: The area is undeveloped.

Daniel R. Chandler Memorial Nature Park: 1495 Bachelor Lane NW, with 7.9 acres of undeveloped land that was donated in 2000.

Name: Dan Chandler was the founder of Prudential Real Estate Professionals in Salem. He died in 1998 of an accidental, self-inflicted shotgun wound at the Willamette Valley Clay Target Center in Gervais.

Amenities: The area is undeveloped.

clynn@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-302-4115, or follow on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.