DODD: Death by annexation in Oak Park

By LINDON DODD

I had the chance to interview the Oak Park Subdivision this past Monday afternoon shortly before she died. Here are her last thoughts just prior to her demise at the hands of a planned annexation by Jeffersonville.

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DODD: “You have had a wonderful run. In some ways it is amazing you held out as an independent neighborhood as long as you did.”

OAK PARK: “Yes, one man’s dream in the 1950s until August of 2007 was a great run. That little neighborhood that could, did for over 50 years.”

DODD: “What were some of your highlights over the years?”

OAK PARK: “I can recall the annual Oak Park festivals over at the basketball court — sorry, I still am not used to Kyle Vissing Park — the street dances that were held on warm, summer evenings, the long afternoons of kids playing sports from dusk until dark, and the generally caring and loving nature of the neighborhood.”

DODD: “In some ways you sheltered your residents from the reality of the world outside of Allison Lane and Utica Pike!”

OAK PARK: “Yes, I was a special place. Kids could freely roam the entire neighborhood without fear of any real harm coming to them, save an occasional scraped knee or bruised arm. Every parent knew every kid and all adults seemed to care about the safety and well-being of all of the neighborhood kids. You know, it just all seemed like the way it was supposed to be. In some ways, it seems to me like an America that has been lost.”

DODD: “Some promises have been made that after your death some real improvements will be made to your aging infrastructure. Does that give you any comfort in your final moments?”

OAK PARK: “Some promises can be uplifting; the promise of children playing baseball in a park on a sunny day, the promise of the boulevard draped with the green gold of leaves forming a canopy in the spring, the promise of tadpoles and schools of baby fish playing with the crawdads at the pond signaling that school is out for the seemingly endless summer. Political promises, however, do not give comfort as much as pause and angst. Only time will tell the difference between a political promise and a politicians’ lie.”

DODD: “I did try to fight the good fight for your survival. Not only for you, but also I felt I owed it to not only your legacy but as allegiance to all the friends and family I have shared you with for 46 years of my life.”

OAK PARK: “You have been just part of a legacy of people who were raised here and go out into life with certain values and morals that are necessary for being a good citizen. While I did have the occasional lost soul, my legacy is perhaps mostly apparent in the number of successful residents who were raised by good families and in a nurturing environment and went on to start families and raise other good kids and good citizens on their own. The general sentiment I get is that once Oak Park is a part of you, it is a special part of you forever. There was really no other place exactly like me — ever!”

DODD: “You know, some residents will continue to fight the annexation decision on technical, legal grounds.”

OAK PARK: “That will only end up being an attorney’s favorite game of, ‘Feed the Kitty.’ My fate has been determined. Even though my time is near the end, I know I will live on in the hearts of every kid who played ball at the park by the pond, every young child whose first night apart from their parents was in a sleeping bag or blanket camping out on the basketball court, or every young boy or girl who spent an afternoon up in a mulberry tree suckling on one of nature’s sweetest treats. That kind of happiness lives on forever in a kid’s heart and mind no matter what their age. And most of all, they will remember a time when they lived somewhere safe. Children need to know love, safety, and security above all for a childhood with peace of mind. My time has been very rewarding. I have loved all my kids.”

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Oak Park as I knew it died on a hot Monday evening, Aug. 20, 2007. I only can wish in my heart of hearts that the new caretakers would understand the value of the precious real estate they have taken into their custody. If you ever lived in Oak Park, you know. If you never lived here you never will. For many of us she will be irreplaceable. Again, I am taken back to the oft true words of songwriter Dan Fogelberg: “When faced with the past, the strongest man cries.”

Lindon Dodd is an Otisco resident who is a freelance writer and a Realtor who can be reached at lindondodd@hotmail.com. His column appears on Sunday.

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