City Council Renames Japanese Garden to Honor Charles Wood

May 25th, 2010

The Mobile City Council renamed the Japanese Garden (off Forest Hill Drive near Langan Park) to honor Charles Wood, who has dedicated so much of his time to creating the garden into what it is today. The new names is “The Charles Wood Japanese Garden of Mobile.”

Below is the wording for the resolution:

WHEREAS, Mr. Charles Wood is being honored for his dedication to the Japanese Garden of Mobile; and

WHEREAS, he is President of the Board of Directors for the Japanese Garden Foundation, Inc., a non-profit group; and

WHEREAS, the fish hatchery was built in the late 1930’s as a State Works Progress Administration project to supply fingerling bream and bass to South Alabama and the 14 acre garden with over a half-mile of walking trails donated to the City of Mobile; and

WHEREAS, for almost two decades Mr. Wood has spearheaded efforts to convert the once abandoned fish hatchery into a showcase Japanese garden; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Wood’s motivation is to provide scenery to inspire artists to paint in the sumi-e art style; and

WHEREAS, he not only volunteers his time to clean up and renovate the garden and give tours, he has raised more than $100,000 for the project; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Wood was instrumental in getting the garden designed by Takeo Uesugi, a Landscape Architect, who earned his doctorate in Landscape Architecture from Kyoto University in Japan, is a Professor of Landscape Architecture at California State Polytechnical University and owns his own design company; and

WHEREAS, today in the garden there are cherry trees, azaleas, crepe myrtle, gingkos, camellias and Japanese maple trees line the gardens nature trails, Koi, goldfish, bream, trout and turtles inhabit the four large ponds on the property.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gina Gregory, Council Member of District 7, along with the Mayor and members of the Mobile City Council, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, May 25, 2010, as

“CHARLES WOOD JAPANESE GARDENS OF MOBILE DAY”

in Mobile, and urge all our citizens to join with us in this momentous occasion.

Done at the City of Mobile, Alabama this 25th day of May, 2010