It's remarkable how much the district grew during one man's tenure on the board. The agency operated out of a rented office on Florida Avenue in Hemet. Its headquarters and regional park were not developed until the 1980s. The park district did not begin its rapid growth until Sam Goepp, who is retiring this month, went to for work for the district in 1985. The agency now has 66 parks and six gyms. In the past year, 3,200 boys and girls played baseball or softball in Valley-Wide leagues and 1,200 children played basketball. There were 655 entrants in the park district's senior Olympics. Von Driska was on the board through the whole 36-year process. Jeff Leatherman, the district's new general manager, said he is counting on Von Driska to remain involved and provide historical perspective. Von Driska said he was caught by surprise by his defeat after his 36 years of service. He's ready to help Bragg, the man who defeated him. Fittingly, he is leaving the board the same month Goepp is retiring. They accomplished a lot together.
Honduras RPCV Darrell Von Driska taught in the Hemet school district for nearly 40 years, staying on even after he would have made about the same in retirement as his salary
Leaving a Legacy
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10:00 PM PST on Monday, December 8, 2008
BOB PRATTE
For the first time since the massive Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District was formed by voters in 1972, Darrell Von Driska will not be on the agency's board of directors.
I am not aware of anyone who has served longer than Von Driska on a San Jacinto Valley agency's board, though his 36 years eventually will be exceeded by Nick Schouten.
Schouten, who retained his Valley-Wide seat in the November election, was appointed when the board had an opening soon after the agency was formed.
Von Driska, a retired career teacher, was defeated for the first time when John Bragg, one of his former students, won a seat. The disappointed Von Driska congratulated Bragg, who he predicted will bring a fresh perspective and good questions to the board.
"I went through a period of grief, I'll have to admit," said Von Driska, who is 69. "For 36 years, it's been my life. It's hard to get used to."
I imagine the loss stung, but Von Driska seemed to take his defeat in stride. I'm not surprised. He was a football player at Hemet High, where he graduated in 1957. He went on to play college ball at LaVerne. He still coaches freshman football at Hemet. He knows every contest has a winner and a loser.
At the same time, he's a man who has devoted his life to working with kids on the field and in the classroom. He taught in the Hemet school district for nearly 40 years, staying on even after he would have made about the same in retirement as his salary. He served in the Peace Corps in Honduras and considered his Valley-Wide work part of the group's mission.
Von Driska modestly said he was first elected because there was no one else to run. He was managing a summer girls softball league at the time. Mothers of players, he said, were instrumental in gathering names on a petition to form the agency. They urged him to become a board member.
He had a hand in directing the park board while it grew from a small operation that offered recreation leagues in borrowed gyms to an empire of parks and gyms.
The district covers a broad area stretching from San Jacinto through Hemet and Winchester to Menifee and French Valley near Temecula.
It's remarkable how much the district grew during one man's tenure on the board. The agency operated out of a rented office on Florida Avenue in Hemet. Its headquarters and regional park were not developed until the 1980s. The park district did not begin its rapid growth until Sam Goepp, who is retiring this month, went to for work for the district in 1985.
The agency now has 66 parks and six gyms. In the past year, 3,200 boys and girls played baseball or softball in Valley-Wide leagues and 1,200 children played basketball. There were 655 entrants in the park district's senior Olympics.
Von Driska was on the board through the whole 36-year process. Jeff Leatherman, the district's new general manager, said he is counting on Von Driska to remain involved and provide historical perspective.
Von Driska said he was caught by surprise by his defeat after his 36 years of service. He's ready to help Bragg, the man who defeated him.
Fittingly, he is leaving the board the same month Goepp is retiring. They accomplished a lot together.
Reach Bob Pratte at 951-763-3452, bpratte@PE.com or 474 W. Esplanade Ave., San Jacinto, CA 92583.
