Parks Are Where We Grow Up

Long before Will Rodman became a supporter of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, he was just a young boy growing, exploring and learning in his neighborhood park: Frick.

“I was born in 1954. Growing up, my family and I lived at 300 South Homewood Avenue in
a house right down the street from the Frick Park gatehouse. As a toddler, my sisters and brother would take me for walks and later tricycle rides almost daily through the park. Our most popular path led directly through the gatehouse. I remember when we would follow the path all the way to where you could watch the bowling on the green,” Will said.

The experiences and memories created in Frick Park are vivid and endearing as Will reflects on his time growing up in Pittsburgh.

“I still remember when my grade school pals and I would go on adventures in Frick Park, and sometimes bike all the way to the playground at Forbes and Braddock. My favorite memory, however, is when I got the nerve to venture through an unlocked door in the Gatehouse one morning as I waited for the school bus to pick me up. That’s where I found a true treasure: a book borrowed from the Carnegie Library in 1902!”

Will simply couldn’t contain his excitement as he recalled his memory.

Will currently resides in Texas, but it’s his love for his former neighborhood park that continues to inspire him to give back and support the Parks Conservancy, so others may have the same opportunity to create their own special memories as he did many years ago.

Simple treasures are discovered and lasting memories are made every day in Pittsburgh's parks.