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Former park president surprised

By KRISTI R. GARABRANDT 4 min read

EAST LIVERPOOL -- Betsy Wells, former president of the Thompson Park Board, was surprised and humbled when the park board and City of East Liverpool recognized her for her service and dedication to the park during an unveiling ceremony held in the park on Saturday morning.

According to Park Board President Tamar Cooper, Wells had served with the board for over 30 years before retiring approximately four years ago.

Cooper said the park board wanted to create a special award recognizing the volunteers or donors who help with the park.

During the recognition ceremony, which Wells attended thinking it was to honor multiple volunteers only to find out it was in her honor, The Betsy Wells Friends of the Park Award was announced and a historical marker with Wells' photo etched into it was unveiled.

There is only one other historical marker in the park and that is to honor Will Thompson who in 1899 donated the 100 acres of land for the creation of a city park in East Liverpool.

Cooper said Wells is the first recipient of the award which bears her name and will be awarded yearly by nominations and will have awards for individual contributions for people who come and help clean up the park or help with mowing, charitable donations for people who gift the park money to help maintain it and civic organizations such as the Garden Club which spent $20,000 on the stairway garden.

"We are going to start officially every year taking nominations and then having a presentation and awards ceremony to thank these people for what they are doing," Cooper said. "Especially in this day and age when people volunteer, we want to make sure that they are thanked."

Each year in October, when the volunteers or organizations are recognized, the names of those earning the award will go on little bronze plaques which will be placed around Wells' photo on the marker.

Park Board Member Mike Chronister spoke of Wells and the park and how special they both were during the presentation.

"Thompson Park is a pretty special place where since 1899, thousands of guests have visited, setting down their worries and reinvigorating their spirits in this transcendent green space you see as our park," Chronister said. "Thompson Park is a restorative place and over the past 124 years only a handful of special people have taken on the responsibility to care for and preserve that fragile and very important ecosystem One of those special people with us today is Betsy Wells."

Chronister referred to Wells as the park's North Star of Volunteerism. Wells served on the park board for over 30 years.

When Chronister had the marker unveiled and said it was very important to have that there to thank her for the things she had done for the park and the years she spent volunteering her time, energy and resources, Wells gasped loudly in shock.

Wells, who served on the Park Board from 2004 to 2019, later said she felt she was undeserving of the award.

Wells, who lived across the street from the park used to walk the park every day for 5 miles, even in sub-zero temperatures. She came to see it as her park.

"I felt it's my park and I should do whatever I could," Wells said. "I just always felt a part of the park."

Wells also said she felt Berl Warrick, who served a park president when she joined the board, should have been honored that day instead of her.

As far as her accomplishments, while serving as president she considers having the softball field change from turf field to a dirt field, which is what the high school wanted, as one of them. She said there were so many improvements that she can't put her finger on any particular one with the exception of getting the roads paved and the placement of the 100-year time capsule.

She is hopeful the creation of the award for volunteering will encourage others to step forward and help with the park, because the park can't survive without volunteers and donations. She said the recognition means more to her than she can express and she is proud of her time spent on the board, but feels she is underserving of the recognition.

East Liverpool City Council member John Mercer read a proclamation issued by Mayor Greg Bricker proclaiming July 29, 2023, as Thank You to Betsy Wells Day.

After the ceremony Chronister acknowledged several organizations and volunteers that were present at the event.

"While we are here to recognize and thank Betsy (Wells) for her 30 years of stewardship and volunteerism, we are also here to shine a spotlight on the groups and individuals who volunteer their time to improve our special park," Chronister said.

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com

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