City park renamed in honor of longtime director
Ron Shirley Alto Park named for former parks and recreation director in ceremony attended by family
Friends and family of the late Ron Shirley gathered Friday on West Alameda Street to commemorate his legacy and unveil the new name for one of the city’s parks — Ron Shirley Alto Park.
Ron Shirley served as head of the parks department for 28 years before retiring in 2007 and coached numerous youth sports teams in Santa Fe. He died in 2019 at the age of 70.
His wife, nephew, children and grandchildren honored him Friday in a way they felt best reflected his impact in the community.
“To see the community come out, to see this actually become a reality for all of us, I’m just beyond thankful,” said his wife, Margo Shirley.
In attendance were former parks employees who worked with him, fellow coaches, neighbors and friends from church, along with city officials. Margo Shirley said she felt overwhelmed by the amount of support she received.
“We always feel our family members are beloved and special,” she said. “But to actually have that feeling attested to by members of the community, to say, ‘Yes, he deserves this,’ that’s something special that no one can replace.”
The process of renaming the park took nearly two and a half years to receive full approval from the city, along with support from City Councilors JoAnne Vigil Coppler and Renee Villarreal, Margo Shirley said.
Nephew Jeremy Romero, 30, said he was proud to see his uncle’s legacy live on.
“My uncle was a man of family, faith and keeping parks beautiful,” Romero said. “I really admired him and appreciated his work ethic and how he put family first.”
Also present at Friday’s event was Mayor Alan Webber, who declared June 4, 2021, as “Ron Shirley Day.”
“Many people remember him for all he gave to the community in the way of parks and recreation,” Webber said. “But I was talking to Melissa McDonald this morning, our current
parks director, and something she said she wanted remembered was Ron’s commitment to building a career ladder.”
Ron Shirley rose from a laborer in the department to director, and he wanted those same opportunities to be available for others, Webber said.
His adult children, Aaron Shirley and Lindsey Shirley; son-in-law Paul Stringer; and his three grandchildren spoke of the joy they felt in honoring his legacy.
Liam Stringer, 8, said he knew his grandfather was there Friday, laughing with them.
“I’m so proud of him today and always. It’s just so special that he’s having a park named after him,” he said. “It just makes me so proud.”