Legacy for a leader
City to consider renaming Alto Park for longtime Parks and Recreation Director Shirley, who died in 2019
The city of Santa Fe is considering a plan to rename Alto Park in honor of the late Ron Shirley, the longtime Parks and Recreation Department director who died in 2019 of prostate cancer.
The City Council Finance Committee will hear the proposal Tuesday after a meeting earlier this week was postponed. If approved by the Finance Committee, the City Council will take a final vote Jan. 13.
Born and raised in Santa Fe, Shirley died at age 70. He served as head of the parks department for 28 years after starting out as a laborer. He retired in 2007.
Margo Shirley said she was pleased by the possibility that one of the city’s best-known parks may be named after her husband.
“I am just so happy that it is finally getting done,” she said Tuesday. “We really had to go out there and be the political asset for Ron Shirley. My nephew, his best friends, have been with us every step of the way.”
Alto Park, a linear park along the Santa Fe River and also known as Bicentennial, is approximately 16 acres, and includes a play area for children, picnic benches, basketball courts, tennis courts and a fields for soccer, football and baseball. The park also encompasses Bicentennial Pool.
The city has named two parks in recent years. A new south-side space is called Dawson Park, after longtime Santa Feans Bill and Dusty Dawson. And the Mike T. Jaramillo Torreon Park is named for a former city employee and husband of former Mayor Debbie Jaramillo.
An avid sports fan, Shirley coached football and girls basketball at Santa Fe High School, and served as the school’s athletic director after his retirement.
Former Santa Fe High football coach Ray Holladay said he quickly saw Shirley as a man with a strong passion for seeing the youth of Santa Fe succeed.
“He coached multiple sports at multiple levels and I think this would be a very fitting tribute to a man who dedicated his time and effort and energies to the youth of Santa Fe,” Holladay said. “He put the kids first during his tenure as my [athletic] director.”
Santa Fe High principal Carl Marano called Shirley a mentor when he worked at the parks department and said renaming the park after Shirley is a well-deserved honor for someone who dedicated so much of his time to the city.
“I definitely think it’s warranted and well deserved and a great way to remember someone with such a positive impact on the city,” Marano said. “... He was a great guy and loved our community, that is for sure.”