Some Want to See Return of Park Sign

Some community leaders in Midway City want to honor outgoing Supervisor Roger R. Stanton by re-christening a park named after the 16-year board veteran.

Roger R. Stanton Park is located off Bolsa Avenue in the heart of the unincorporated community. The county named the small recreation area after Stanton several years ago at the request of Midway City residents.

But a few weeks after Orange County declared bankruptcy in December 1994, Stanton requested that the entrance sign bearing his name be removed.

With Stanton now set to leave office in early January, the sign should go back up, said Jerome Catlin, president of the Midway City Chamber of Commerce and Homeowners Assn.

“We were disappointed when the sign went down in the first place. I think it should go up in January,” said Catlin. “People in Midway City are proud of Roger. . . . He’s represented our community well over the years.”

Catlin praised Stanton for being a “strong and fair” supervisor.

On a more personal note, he added, “Roger gave me a lot of self-esteem and helped me get over the fact that I’m in a wheelchair by appointing me to [county] boards and committees.”

Stanton expressed mixed feelings about the honor.

“I was always a reluctant camper on naming the park,” said Stanton. “I don’t think it’s appropriate at this level of government. . . . I appreciated it, but did it almost with a blush.”

The county has named parks and streets after a number of former supervisors. Most recently, it named a South County park after Thomas F. Riley and a Huntington Beach recreation area after Harriett M. Wieder.

Riley, Wieder and Stanton were on the board when the county plunged into bankruptcy.