Park dedication remembers Mr. Rocklin

He was known as Mr. Rocklin because of his vision for the city?s future.Although Clarke Dominguez didn?t live to see the place he loved meet his expectations, on Nov. 15 those who knew him, and have seen it, gathered at Valley View Elementary School near the 8 acre park on Crest Avenue named in his honor ? Dominguez Neighborhood Park.?It was just overwhelming for us to see this beautiful park,? said daughter Maria Frkovich. ?To be able to look out at the park and look at all of Rocklin, it?s what he loved. It brings a huge sense of pride to my family. It felt like his spirit was there.?Members of Rocklin City Council, along with Mayor Kathy Lund who was among those who spoke at the dedication, came to remember and honor their friend.?I worked with Clarke for 11 years,? Lund said. ?You knew where you stood with Clarke. He wasn?t afraid to tell you if he disagreed with you. He was one my favorite people to work with and I looked up to him.?Lund said Dominguez was supportive of anyone who would run for City Council, but his real love was the children who would one day grow up to live in Rocklin.?One reason I?m glad we chose the park we did for him was because kids were most important to him. He cared about children,? she said. ?This park overlooks the city and I think Clarke would like that, to be up there and see what?s going on. This way he can keep an eye on his city. Councilmember George Magnuson, attended the dedication ?as a friend and colleague.? ?I worked with Clarke nine years on the city council,? Magnuson said. ?I knew him as a friend before that time. I think he?d be honored. This dedication is for everything he did, the many years of service through the planning commission, the school board, as an educator and the City Council. Basically he was there to take us from a small town of 600 to where we are today. He had some foresight.? Mary Dominguez, Clarke?s widow, attended with their three children Frkovich, Cynthia Greth and son John. Grandchildren, as well as his brother Stan Dominguez and his wife Audrey came to see a plaque unveiled declaring the site Dominguez Neighborhood Park. Son John Dominguez, also an educator, spoke about how his father would have been proud and the family was ?honored? by the dedication.?I was just delighted about the dedication,? Mary Dominguez said. ?It was very well deserved. Not because he was my husband, but I know the things Clarke wanted to accomplish. I know how much he loved Rocklin. He loved the people and always wanted the best for them. And, it was nice to see old friends again.?Among those longtime friends was Margaret Azevedo who has served 20 years on the Rocklin Recreation Commission. She spoke of how the former councilmember and mayor loved Rocklin. Mark Reimer, director of community services and facilities said her presence added to the many founding figures at the event. ?What was kind of neat about the dedication was we got see a bunch of the old-timers, people who are synonymous with Rocklin for over past 25 years and longer,? Reimer said. ?Plus, his entire family was there. It was a very nice ceremony.?Although some city parks were named after the terrain around them, Reimer said the view of the city was why Dominguez Neighborhood Park was given its name. ?You can see Rocklin from that site and that?s what Clarke would have wanted,? he said. ?It allows you to see old and new Rocklin. That?s was Clarke was all about -- community.?Dominguez, who moved with his parents to Rocklin from the Stockton area in the late 1940s, married and raised his family in the community. He died in 2000 at the age of 72. His love for Rocklin and people was evident at the dedication. ?People were coming up to us talking about him, his sense of humor and what he meant to them,? Frkovich said. ?And this park, even in death he is remembered. It?s just amazing to me. I thought of the fact that before the parks was here he used to take his grandkids and drive them all over Rocklin. He told us someday there would be these wonderful parks in the neighborhoods. I don?t think he knew a park would be named after him.?A joint-use gymnasium under construction on Meyers Street will also bear his name.?That?s coming up next,? Mary Dominguez said. ?When it is built, we?ll have another dedication. I am so honored that Clarke has left such a wonderful legacy here. He seems to be here all around the city.?Brenda Meadows can be reached at brendam@goldcountrymedia.com