Frank Harrington
A pocket park in downtown San Carlos has been renamed the Frank D. Harrington Park to honor one of the city’s most prolific volunteers.
The council unanimously approved the name change Monday night to honor Harrington’s years of volunteer work as a community service officer before he died in November at the age of 74.
He was famous for taking daily walks downtown past the park that would eventually be named after him.
He was part of the fabric of downtown, Councilman Matt Grocott told the Daily Journal.
Grocott would run into Harrington often as he went downtown for his morning coffee and was fond of the classic Chevrolet pickup truck Harrington refurbished and often cruised down Laurel Street.
He was a regular at Starbucks where he conversed with friends including Councilman Mark Olbert.
“He was a fixture of the town and a wonderful human being,” Olbert said.
He made the community a better, safer place, Olbert and Grocott agreed.
He added a personal touch to his downtown policing duties including staying on scene with accident victims until paramedics arrived, Grocott said.
Councilman Bob Grassilli called Harrington a “complete volunteer” who never took a dime for the work he did.
He was the type of person who does so much for the community but never gets or seeks attention, Grassilli said.
In 2010, the City Council issued a proclamation to Harrington for his years of dedicated service to San Carlos.
“Harrington put himself in harm’s way on numerous occasions for the protection of the San Carlos community. He dedicated himself to the community and spent much of his time spreading good will, assisting residents and augmenting the Police Department with his friendly and helpful nature,” Parks and Recreation Director Christine Boland wrote in a report to council.
He received countless awards and accolades for his “kind and humanistic approach to problem resolution, dedication, commitment and loyalty” to San Carlos, Boland wrote.
Harrington was a Navy veteran who worked for 35 years as a postal carrier until his retirement in 1995.
After that, he spent much of his time volunteering for the San Carlos Police Department and county Sheriff’s Office as a volunteer.
“I think it was very commendable to do what he did. I don’t see anybody out there like Frank,” Grocott said about the prolific volunteer.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 102
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