Anderson Rotary Club honors John Sharrah for helping create Anderson River Park

John Sharrah was joined by more than 100 friends, former business partners, fellow Rotarians and well-wishers who gathered for the unveiling Wednesday, Sept. 30, of an 8,500-pound granite boulder and plaque erected in his honor.

Sharrah, 78, was recognized by Anderson Rotary Club for his part in helping establish Anderson River Park while employed by the City of Anderson as Director of Public Works.

Sharrah, now a civil engineer and senior partner in the Redding planning firm of Sharrah, Dunlap and Sawyer, was applauded for his extraordinary vision and never-ending tenacity in obtaining title to the nearly 500-acre ranch that makes up much of the park that is used each week by thousands of Shasta County residents.

Directed by then-Mayor Virgil Covington and others on the Anderson City Council, Sharrah used a combination of federal, state and local funds to negotiate the purchase in 1968 of the 500-acre Dodson Ranch bordering the western side of the Sacramento River.

As a member and past president of Anderson Rotary Club, Sharrah led the club's membership to construct the park's first barbecue, the Scout Hall, gazebo and basketball court. More recently, the club built a handicap-accessible fishing pier and contributed to the construction of the Veterans Memorial area at the park.