WASSERMAN FAMILY RECEIVES ART REPLICA FROM PLAY 4 ALL PARK
In addition to helping countless people book their dream vacations, Morry and Betty Wasserman were well known for giving back to the community they lived in for 60 years. This included giving donations to local causes, sometimes anonymously, according to son-in-law Jim Kellogg.
One donation they proudly lent their name to, however, was the Play 4 All Park, an inclusive park and playground being constructed at the corner of Elmira and Leisure Town roads. Having a son with a developmental disability, the Wassermans were early supporters of the park and donated more than $50,000 to fund its construction. In return, the Play 4 All Park committee decided to name a field within the park after the Wassermans.
Morry died in 2017, and Betty in 2021, but their contributions to the playground will be enshrined in more ways than one. As the park nears completion of its first phase, Play 4 All President Tom Phillippi gifted Kellogg and his family with a replica of artwork that will be featured on a fixture atop the zipline.
Kellogg, his son Logan and daughter-in-law Grace were bestowed a painted pinup of Betty in a blue dress with her name emblazoned across, a symbol that is featured on a metal replica of the B-17 bomber that Morry flew in World War II which will sit atop the zipline in front of an area that will be known as Wasserman Field.
Phillippi said the Wassermans’ donation was used to build the zipline. Behind it will be a picnic structure that resembles an aircraft hangar.
“This whole corner is gonna be Wasserman Field at Play 4 All Park,” he said.
Philippi, who grew up a few blocks from the Wassermans, said he had approached Betty with the idea of incorporating a plane to honor Morry’s service in World War II and participation in the Berlin Airlift, where he flew a B-17.
“I came up with this idea to show Betty, ‘Hey, I’ve got an idea that can honor your family and recognize your donation all at the same time,’” he said. “The family loved it, she loved it, so that’s how we got here.”
The design features an image
of Betty that was painted by local artist Jonathan Burton and his daughter Madison. Phillippi said Jonathan had used a series of stencils to paint the image, one of which was made on a canvas that he later donated to Jim Kellogg and his family.
Kellogg said receiving the artwork was a surprise but an amazing way to honor his in-laws. In particular, he highlighted that Betty was buried in blue clothing and she was wearing a blue dress on the artwork.
“Here she is in blue again,” he said.
Kellogg said Logan and Grace ended up buying Morry and Betty’s house and are dedicating the family room to Morry’s military service. The artwork will be featured there.
“This will be going on the wall of that room, along with all of Morry’s memorabilia,” he said.
Morry was born in 1921 and served in the Air Force as a B-17 bomber pilot in World War II, eventually retiring as lieutenant colonel when stationed at Travis Air Force Base in 1964. In 1944, he married Betty, and they raised three children in Vacaville starting in 1957.
In 1979, the Wassermans and their daughter, Wendy Wasserman Kellogg opened Wasserman Travel on Merchant Street, helping many clients book vacations and cruises throughout the world. Kellogg said it was an example of their giving nature.
“(They) decided, ‘We have our roots in our community,’” he said. “‘We’re gonna stay here and do everything we can to make it a better place to live.’”
Kellogg said the Wassermans often donated to causes but always did so humbly.
“They didn’t want notoriety of anything, so there were a lot of things that we did in the past as a family to support the community and help the community, but it was always anonymous donations,” he said.
Following Morry’s death, Kellogg said Betty wanted the Wasserman Travel name to live on, so that resulted in the B-17 mock-up. She was even present at the groundbreaking ceremony for the park in 2019 to deliver another donation.
Kellogg said the park is a great way to honor the Wassermans.
“I’m only sorry they’re not here to see it,” he said.
The Play 4 All Park is intended to accommodate all children, whether they have disabilities or not. Such features include a seesaw with hydraulics to prevent kids from falling off, a miniature merry-go-round with space for wheelchairs to enter and stay in place as it spins around, a large We-Go-Swing with a seat for able-bodied individuals and a space to accommodate wheelchair users, and a zipline with a seat that can allow users to be safely buckled in.
Even the main playground structure has space for people of all abilities to enter and move to the top. While Phillippi said not all kids would be able to go down the slides, the structure has different activity stations where kids can do puzzles, play with steering wheels and even learn Braille.
Phillippi also said there would be a variety of different materials in the playground area, rather than just sand or gravel.
“Almost every play structure in Vacaville is in a sand pit with a concrete ring around it, and what’s a child in a wheelchair gonna do?” he said. “How are they gonna have any fun? While they can’t negotiate every slide here, they can be in the heart of the action.”
The initial phase of the park, consisting of the main playground, is expected to be completed over the next two to three months. The second phase will feature two miniature ballparks that are replicas of Fenway Park in Boston and Oracle Park in San Francisco and will allow kids of all abilities to play baseball and serve as the city tee-ball and adult wiffleball fields, a dog park and a half-mile walking and jogging trail.
Kellogg looks forward to seeing smiles from kids of all abilities as they use the park.
“I’ve already seen some kids earlier, while they were putting things together, come out here and were very anxious to play out here,” he said.
Phillippi said he is looking forward to having all kids be able to play together.
“No matter what your abilities are, you can all play together and have fun,” he said. “By interacting like that, I think it makes all of us better.”
More information on Play 4 All Park can be found at Play4allvacaville.org.