Bend’s Mayor Abernathy to proclaim June 15 “Vince Genna Day”

BEND, Ore. -- Vince Genna, former Director of the Bend Parks and Recreation district and the man considered the father of Bend parks, will be remembered at memorial services scheduled for Friday June 15, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Genna Stadium, located at SE 5^th and Roosevelt Ave. The public is invited to attend the memorial, organized by family and friends. An American Legion team exhibition game will follow the services, in recognition of the game Genna loved.

Genna passed away April 7, 2007 at age 86.

Speakers will offer their remembrances in appreciation of Genna as a baseball player and coach, decorated World War II veteran, and dedicated public servant, honoring his role in developing and creating new parks as the director of Bend Parks and Recreation District for over thirty years.

Bend’s Mayor Bruce Abernathy will be on hand to officially proclaim June 15, 2007 Vince Genna Day.

Genna was recruited to come to Bend in 1954 by Leonard Lundgren, specifically for his record as a baseball coach in Salem and his love of the game. Genna took the job as an assistant recreation manager for the City of Bend, and in 1958 led the Bend American Legion team to its first and only state championship in the local post’s history. When the city combined its park and recreation districts into one, Genna became the first director of the new district. It was a post he served with distinction and a talent for getting things done, recognizing opportunities when he saw them and leaving Bend with an nationally recognized and award winning park district.

Memorial contributions will be donated to the Deschutes County Historical Society for the purposes of honoring Genna’s legacy. Donations are accepted at any branch of the Bank of Cascades and at the Des Chutes Historical Museum, located at 129 NW Idaho Ave between Wall and Bond.  For more information call the historical society at 389-1813 or visit www.deschuteshistory.org.