Dear Friends,
My name is Tom Wishing. As a long-time local resident and park volunteer, I urge you to consider making an investment in Candlestick Point State Recreation Area. Here is my story.
In the spring of 1981, my late wife Kathleen and I moved to Little Hollywood. Our first son, Devin, was five months from being born. What was just a landfill when we moved would one day become a space where we spent our time fishing, biking, rollerblading, and hiking.
Perhaps my favorite memory in Candlestick was in 1983 when Devin was two. I would routinely take him on wagon rides in the park. One day I decided to take my father’s old buggy whip fishing rod from the 50s. It was January, and after finding a box of shrimp on ice at a picnic table, I cast out hoping to catch a perch that Devin could release. But instead of a perch we hooked and landed a 32lb striped bass on 8lb test line that got our picture in the fishing paper.
Seven years later Devin won the San Francisco Examiner’s kid’s outdoor writing contest with a Paul Bunyan-esque tale of our fishing adventure at Candlestick Point. As a result of his “big fish story”, we met Fred and Louise, who became our adopted grandparents. Fred would take Devin to Giants games, and we would spend the holidays with them. The couple became incredibly important figures in our lives.
Volunteering at Candlestick began at a challenging point in my life. In 2010 my wife passed away without warning, and I lost my job of 25 years during the recession. I began to fill my time with volunteer work. One day, I joined a work day at the park led by Bob Fox. After a few more projects, I went to the Park Champions core leader training day at the Eco Center. Since then I’ve done everything from tree pruning and trail work to carpentry and painting.
Through the years, I’ve transitioned to working with Literacy for Environmental Justice and the State Parks Foundation, co-leading work days of plant propagation, planting, and stewardship of native plant areas, including the growing and planting of over 9,000 native plants for the new campground site.
Some of my fondest memories as a youth took place in the outdoors, mostly around water, and I’m happy to have been able to share this with my sons. Candlestick is so crucial because it offers this type of experience to a community that has been historically underserved.
Sincerely,
Tom Wishing
P.S. I urge you to support the critical work that LEJ does in Candlestick Point State Recreation Area. The park is an important part of my life that has shaped relationships with family and led to life-long friendships. Use the form below to donate.