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very young that if I was ever worried or agitated or upset, I could always go into the woods and I was surrounded by nature, which was really my best friend. He taught me that when I was four years old and it still serves me now that I'm 57. The park is a testament to that set of values and to his profound appreciation for nature.
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from 1937 to 1947, he "brought about the first purchase by the
Dominion government of what is now Gatineau Park." On May 12, 1955, the same paper said that "Mr. Sparks and his associates are generally credited with 'selling' the late Prime Minister Mackenzie King the idea of setting aside a national
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Pop gave us an appreciation for nature and a heritage which, even if we live in cities, can never be taken away. It is in our blood. And in our family's particular blood are the
Gatineau Hills, thanks to him. We hope Gatineau Park will continue to give that heritage to all who visit. It is a special
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The
Advisory Committee to the Federal District Commission on Gatineau Park, of which Mr. P. Sparks is Chairman are in full and enthusiastic accord with us on the possibilities of this wooded reserve, and have, in large measure, inspired our recommendations relative to practical developments of this
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I remember holding his hand, being led on walks along well-worn paths, made by him, listening to and witnessing the unfolding natural world. What especially struck me as a child were the animals of the forest and the relationship they have with each other, and with the forces of nature, which I was
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As well, the NCC recognized Sparks' key contribution to the park, albeit belatedly, when it dedicated the
Roderick Percy Sparks Exhibition Hall at an official ceremony in the park's visitors centre on July 8, 2005. Speaking on that occasion, Sparks' grandson, Sandy Crawley, recalled memories of his
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The prime objective of this plan should be to retain throughout the main area of the park the atmosphere of the
Canadian woods and preserve for all time the natural beauty of the lakes and wooded hills as an inspiration to all … While this park will serve a useful purpose as a place of recreation,
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In his last major contribution to the park, a 1956 memorandum to a joint parliamentary committee, Sparks argued that the public interest had been seriously ignored in the planning and management of
Gatineau Park. He underlined that the personal, financial and political interests of area landowners
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One of the lessons I learned from my grandfather, whom we called Pop, was that you have to fight for what you believe in. Pop understood that parks like this one don't get started on their own He knew that it sometimes takes a little arm twisting to get things done. Pop also taught me when I was
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As chairman of the research committee of the
Federal Woodlands Preservation League, Sparks had urged the Bennett government to commission a survey of the Gatineau forests in a letter of April 3, 1935, to Interior Minister T. G. Murphy. The importance of the resulting study was acknowledged in the
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A noted conservationist, tariff expert and successful businessman, he waged battles against government corruption in the 1920s, playing a key role in the 1926 Customs
Investigation, and defended workers' rights in the 1930s, helping Conservative MP Harry Stevens establish the Select Committee on
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Sparks was also a member of the
Advisory Committee's Parkway subcommittee which had been created to study the possibility of building a parkway through Gatineau Park. In July 1953, the subcommittee went on a fact-finding mission to Virginia's Shenandoah National Park and Tennessee's Great Smoky
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Sparks also played a central role in helping orient the park's design and development in his capacity as chairman of the
Advisory Committee on Gatineau Park from 1947 to 1954. He did so by, among other things, writing the 1949 Report of the Advisory Committee on Gatineau Park and – perhaps most
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While chairman of the League, Sparks also wrote several documents that were crucial to the creation and initial development of Gatineau Park. They include a December 13, 1937, memorandum to the office of Prime Minister King outlining a proposal for creating the park; a preliminary master plan
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The government, having been concerned about the cutting of the forest cover in the Kingsmere area, authorized an extensive survey of this matter and the findings were published in the Lower Gatineau Woodlands Survey. , as a result of the above-mentioned report, the Commission commenced the
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He built a dam on one of the creeks that ran through the property and created a small pond on which we skated with joy each winter. He built a barn, and chicken house. The barn had a tin roof. To be inside it, and hear the rain on the tin roof was one of our coziest
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Mountain National Park. The recommendations made in its report were largely inspired by Shenandoah's Skyline Drive, and many of them were later implemented in Gatineau Park. The park's Étienne Brulé Lookout is a mirror image of lookouts found throughout Shenandoah.
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Sparks' influence continues to be evident throughout Gatineau Park, most notably in policies advocated in successive NCC master plans. The extent of that influence was acknowledged in 1950 by French urban planner
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importantly – the 1952 Report on a Master Plan for Development of Gatineau Park (the latter being, in effect, the first comprehensive master plan for the park, though the NCC has failed to acknowledge this).
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Murray, Jean-Paul, "Roderick Percy Sparks: Founder of the Gatineau Park," brief submitted to the Board of Directors of the National Capital Commission by the New Woodlands Preservation League, April 4, 2003:
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Pop built a wonderful set of swings at "Stone Acres," his farm on the Meech Lake Road. The ropes were so long we could touch the leaves of the tall maples with our toes – like flying, if only for an instant.
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All of the property owners in area have a direct financial interest in the plans of the Commission . In fact it is no reflection on them to say that their interest may be in direct conflict with the public
176:, he was a garment manufacturer as well as president and executive committee member of various commercial associations, including the Canadian Manufacturers Association.
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Memorandum to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the Federal District Commission, R.P. Sparks, 1956: www.gatineauparc.ca/documents_en.html.
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Memorandum to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the Federal District Commission, R.P. Sparks, 1956: www.gatineauparc.ca/documents_en.html.
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proposal for Gatineau Park sent to the Federal District Commission on October 9, 1945; and a 1946 memorandum to the Standing Senate Committee on Tourist Traffic.
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Report on the Master Plan for the Development of Gatineau Park, Advisory Committee on Gatineau Park, May 1952: www.gatineauparc.ca/documents_en.html.
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bringing physical benefits, its greater purpose lies in its possibilities as a moral and spiritual force in the lives of those who visit it.
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Perhaps his most eloquent vision statement for the park is to be found in the 1949 Report of the Advisory Committee on Gatineau Park:
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Report of the Parkway Subcommittee for Gatineau Park, Gatineau Park Advisory Committee, 1953: www.gatineauparc.ca/documents_en.html.
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of March 30, 1959, credited Percy Sparks with being the "father of the Gatineau Park," adding that, as chairman of the
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Price Spreads. He also dedicated nearly a quarter century of his life to building a park in the Gatineau Hills.
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Words from his eldest granddaughter, Ms. Michal Anne Crawley, were also spoken during the dedication ceremony:
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Roderick Percy Sparks died of pneumonia in Ottawa on March 29, 1959, following a holiday in Tucson, Arizona.
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Report of the Advisory Committee on Gatineau Park, May 16, 1949: www.gatineauparc.ca/documents_en.html.
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Report of the Advisory Committee on Gatineau Park, May 16, 1949: www.gatineauparc.ca/documents_en.html.
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Murray, Jean-Paul (2004). "Roderick Percy Sparks: Gatineau Park's Forgotten Founder".
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manufacturer and environmentalist. He is widely credited with being the Father of
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Murray, Jean-Paul (December 8, 2003). "Gatineau Park's forgotten founder".
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His grandson, Rod Crawley, also related vivid impressions of Percy Sparks:
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He married Rheba Fraser on February 11, 1911, and they had three children.
523:, National Capital Planning Service, King's Printer, Ottawa, 1950, p. 263.
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Dare, Patrick (July 9, 2005). "Gatineau Park visionary gets his due".
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349:. Vol. 30. Gatineau Valley Historical Society. pp. 11–16.
168:, Canada, Sparks was the great grandnephew of Ottawa pioneer
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Parker, Charles Whately; Greene, Barnet M., eds. (1922).
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development of Gatineau Park by the acquisition of land.
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1952 annual report of the Federal District Commission:
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recreation area on the outskirts of Canada's capital."
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264:in his landmark report on Canada's capital:
182:He served as the president/commodore of the
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16:Canadian manufacturer and environmentalist
269:providential asset of the Capital Region.
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26:For the Australian rules footballer, see
153:(March 7, 1880 – March 29, 1959) was a
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428:www.gatineauparc.ca/documents_en.html.
200:Federal Woodlands Preservation League
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577:Lisgar Collegiate Institute alumni
366:. International Press. p. 926
302:able to witness on a daily basis.
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363:Who's Who in Canada, Volume 16
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521:Plan for the National Capital
501:. March 30, 1959. p. 33
509:– via Newspapers.com.
174:Ottawa Collegiate Institute
100:Ottawa Collegiate Institute
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164:Born on March 7, 1880, in
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572:Canadian conservationists
374:– via Google Books.
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28:Percy Sparks (footballer)
19:Not to be confused with
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151:Roderick Percy Sparks
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255:Continuing influence
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109:Manufacturer
85:(1959-03-29)
39:Percy Sparks
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562:1959 deaths
557:1880 births
21:Percy Spark
551:Categories
315:References
106:Occupation
64:1880-03-07
310:feelings.
238:interest.
96:Education
505:July 17,
370:July 15,
155:Canadian
141:Children
74:, Canada
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