Tex Ward’s parks dream came true
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers GREAT FRIENDS—Former Conejo Recreation and Parks District general manager Tex Ward holds his 10-month-old grandson, Logan Ward, at a reception and dinner that honored Ward’s many years of service to the people of Thousand Oaks.

It took a dream, borrowed money, leadership and the commitment of the community to finally fulfill Tex Ward’s vision for Thousand Oaks’ parks.

“It takes more than coloring maps green to protect open space,” said the recently retired Conejo Recreation and Park District general manager, who served Thousand Oaks for 38 years.

While other areas were doing just that—coloring open space green on a map and calling it undeveloped in hopes of protecting it—Ward was looking for a way to really secure the hills surrounding Thousand Oaks so the landscape envisioned in the general plan would not change. The means to do this didn’t exist before Ward and other leaders pioneered a way for the city to take title and manage the open space.

The Conejo Valley’s city and park district are two separate entities that were able to come together to create a hybrid that could do what neither of them could do separately—like two species that are able to make one species that incorporates the best of both, he said.

The result was a partnership that includes the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority that preserves and manages thousands of acres of local open space.

Ward was one of the 100 original creators of the general plan. Their goal to protect 40 percent of the territory was an ambitious one, but worth the effort.

“We were fortunate to have the topography with hills surrounding us and were able to save the canyons,” Ward said. “We have a lot of people tucked into this valley, but you can’t tell it.”

After 38 years, the result is a community surrounded by picturesque hills, where Ward wants to spend the rest of his life.

“I can’t think of any place I’d rather be. I enjoy my house, our open space system, a very good community of good people, and you can’t beat the climate,” Ward said.

Ward goes by Tex because he was born in Texas and was given the nickname at that time; he refuses to tell his given name. He grew up in Wyoming, where his father was a professor of outdoor recreation at the University of Wyoming.

In 1968, Ward was 26, had a master’s degree from Washington State University, experience in the Army and a job as the director of parks with the Conejo Recreation and Parks District. The county owned the parks, volunteers built the only community center and the district owned about 10 acres of land. There were about 35,000 people living in the newly formed city of Thousand Oaks. The park district had only a handful of employees, Ward said.

Wildwood Park had sets left by TV series like “Gunsmoke” and “The Rifleman,” which were filmed there. Local children would go there and play, using their imaginations and the old buildings left behind from the Westerns.

In the hills, teenagers riding mini-bikes aggravated the many herds of sheep.

“Those kids were a constant source of irritation for my rangers,” Ward recalled..

The city was on the verge of a growth spurt. The district constantly put bond issues on the ballot that were voted down. Ward knew it was important for the parks and recreation areas of the city to keep up with the population growth.

Finally, a bond was passed and the district could build the community park by Thousand Oaks High School, the Borchard Center, the Thousand Oaks Center and four neighborhood parks, he said.

The district borrowed more money and built a swimming pool at Thousand Oaks High School, the first of many cooperative ventures between the park and the school districts, Ward said.

The district grew into one of the largest recreation departments in the state, with 43 parks including five community centers, a wide range of programming for all ages and 85 fulltime employees, plus an additional 300 staff members hired during the summer to run camp programs and classes and serve as lifeguards.

Councilmember Dennis Gillette said Thousand Oaks is a much better place because of Ward. The former mayor credits Ward with securing 184 acres of parkland in the center of the city surrounding the 23 Freeway. That land includes Conejo Creek Park, the Thousand Oaks Library, a senior center, a teen center, baseball fields, soccer fields, a community garden, a dog park, an equestrian park and an undeveloped section.

“Tex Ward enhanced the quality of life in our community,” Gillette said.

Sophia Fischer contributed to this story.