Please Mail Donations to:
San Diego County Parks Society
P.O. Box 957
Bonita, CA 91908
Or Call (619) 267-7323
Thank you!
We also have several funds established in the memory of individuals who made significant contributions to the environment and San Diego County Parks in their lifetimes. When donating to the San Diego Parks Society, you can choose to donate to a specific memorial fund.
MEMORIAL FUNDS
ALICE FRIES MEMORIAL FUND:
Alice Fries lived in North San Diego County until her death on December 28, 1988. This fund was established to honor her a few years before her death. She was a well-known bird expert and wrote a column for a North County newspaper about local birds. The Alice Fries Environmental Education Fund was established in the late summer of 1984 by the San Diego County Parks Society in Alice’s honor to help carry on the education goals of Alice Fries and study of the environment.
EMILY DURBIN MEMORIAL FUND:
Emily Durbin was a well-known environmental activist in San Diego County. She was a member of the Sierra Club (SD chapter) and was awarded the club’s Silver Cup award in 1996. She was awarded the Roger Revelle Award in 1988, by Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 for involvement in growth-management and water-use issues in the county. She helped organize the Friends of the Santa Margarita River Foundation and worked on many other such projects during her lifetime. The SDCPS voted on May 29, 1986, to establish the Emily Durbin Environmental Education Fund to honor her lifelong concern with the environment and selfless service to the community. After her death on August 16, 1990 it continued on as a Memorial Fund. This fund is used to assist the environmental education efforts of the Society and the County Parks and Recreation Department.
HELEN VALLEJO CHAMLEE MEMORIAL FUND:
Helen Vallejo Chamlee was a member of the Parks Society Board and helped to found the Society. Mrs. Chamlee was a well-known botanist specializing in native plants of this region. In 1978 she received a Fellow Award from the California Native Plant Society. Chamlee took up Florida Canyon (northeastern edge of Balboa Park) as a cause early in 1970’s and lobbied the City Council to declare it a preserve. She succeeded in 1974 and within a year had trained a few volunteers to lead tours along the nature trails. Chamlee also wrote a guide, with descriptions corresponding to 31 numbered posts on the trail, which is available for 50 cents at the Natural History Museum. She wrote in her guide, “When you enter the nature trail, you become, for a short while, part of a natural environment.” Her memorial fund helps to provide environmental educational opportunities for community members.
JOSEPH CICE MEMORIAL FUND
Joseph Cice worked at the Lakeside Community Center, where he was a much-beloved youth counselor. After Mr. Cice was killed in a car accident, a friend proposed establishing a memorial fund to support the youth activities at Mr. Cice's former workplace. The fund was duly established in the fall of 2004 with an initial donation of $30,000. Since that time, the fund has been augmented by donations from friends and family members.
MARTHA HARVILLE MEMORIAL FUND:
Martha Harville had a meteoric career with the Department of Parks and Recreation, advancing quickly after she was hired at age 21 in 1978. She had a keen interest in the history of Native Americans who had lived in this area, and she enjoyed listening to the stories of San Diego county pioneers and in passing along lore to school children. She was much beloved by her family, peers, and co-workers, all of whom experienced the deep tragedy of Martha's untimely death at age 31. The Martha Harville fund was established in 1988 in memory of Supervising Ranger Martha Harville of the San Diego County Park and Recreation Department. This fund provides scholarships for environmental education training, workshops and seminars to improve skills and better serve the public.
MARTHA-JO RODGERS MEMORIAL FUND:
Martha-Jo Rodgers was a member of the San Diego County Parks Society Board. She served as a board member for less than a year before her death. During that brief time, she was an exact, acute, interested participant in the works of the Society. In 2004 this memorial fund was established by fellow board member, George Hanson, to honor her and the liveliness she so generously shared.
THOMAS KOMAR MEMORIAL FUND:
In 1980, a car accident left Thomas Komar quadriplegic. Surmounting this tragic event, he entered University of Michigan’s architecture program in 1981 and became an architect and activist for the physically handicapped. He moved to San Diego in 1986 where he advised and consulted on issues relating to the accessibility for persons with disabilities at the local, county, and state levels. He died on August 17, 1991. His sister and parents established the memorial funds to provide improvements, which will enhance access by the disabled to County parks.
