Bothell’s new park should be named for a local veteran

Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 5, 2018

The article by Ben Watanabe about Bothell’s new park (“Bothell’s largest park is open to visitors and name ideas,” The Herald, April 1) implies that the City of Bothell is not interested in naming their new Wayne Golf Course Park for the fallen veterans in our area. I know of many suggestions that were submitted for Bothell Veterans Memorial Park. I’m not surprised that it didn’t get a mention in your article, and will probably have little to no chance of being considered. With leading names like Redfish Park, Lushootseed Park, Willow Peoples Park, and One Bothell Park, our city leaders would rather name it after a fish or a tree branch.

If the City of Bothell needs to have a name that represents its history, then they should at least use a name that people can relate to but will also give honor. If Bothell Veterans Memorial Park is too generic for our leaders, then how about Richard C. Worthington Jr. Park? Richard C. Worthington Jr. was one of my 1964 Bothell High School classmates. The graduating class of 1964 lost two of our classmates in Vietnam: Richard Worthington and Chuck Slusser. On May 6, 1970, Worthington was piloting his helicopter in South Vietnam when his helicopter crashed; his body was never recovered.

Richard’s grandfather founded the Bothell State Bank in 1908, and his father operated Worthington Insurance Agency in Bothell for many years. The Worthington Family Foundation has made generous contributions to scholarship programs not only at Bothell High School but at the University of Washington, including the branch campus in Bothell.

It’s too bad that our city leaders can’t look back into the history book and honor someone who helped build our fine city, and give a little credit where credit is due!

Parl Guthrie

Bothell