Bench Honors Neal Carlson

Neal Carlson got the view he always wanted, and now there’s a bench to go along with it.

On Saturday, representatives of the Kosciusko County Historical Society, a group Carlson was closely  involved with for decades, joined his friends and family to dedicate a bench constructed as part of an Eagle Scout project in his name at Chinworth Bridge Trailhead.

But the story is bigger than a bench and is more about the evolution of a small roadside park and the guiding hand of Carlson, who died in April 2017 at the age of 91.

Back when Old 30 was the main east-west highway, the property along the river and west of Warsaw served as a rest area. But by 1975, the new U.S. 30 had opened and the state sold the 2.5-acre stretch of land to the historical society for $600.

Carlson was a driving force in the restoration and painting of the adjacent Chinworth Bridge on the western end of the park, and took an interest in seeing the park develop.

Carlson’s involvement in the community was extensive. He was also closely involved with United Way, Indiana Landmarks And Historic Preservation, and  Kosciusko County Community Foundation.

While the longtime banker had a hand in many developments in Warsaw, it was his love for local history and scouting that seems to have converged over the years and helped slowly transform the park.

Carlson helped get the Kiwanis Pavilion moved over from the airport to the park about 15 years ago.

Five years ago, the historical society constructed a kiosk that tells the history of the National Lincoln Highway, which runs along that portion of Old 30. The park is now part of the Lake City Greenway bike trail.

At the same time, Carlson’s interest in scouting led to his involvement in about 12 Eagle projects, including three that led to improvements at the Chinworth park.

“Neal said all he wanted to do was be able to sit down and see the river and see the bridge,” said Jay Bolduc, a longtime scouting leader. “So we wanted to create a place for him that he can sit down – because I still feel that Neal is with us in some way right now.”

Bolduc serves as liaison between his son’s Scout troop and their church, The Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter-day Saints.

Bolduc has four sons, all of whom completed Eagle Scout projects. While Louis focused his project on the cataloging of cemeteries for a geographic information system (GIS), his three brothers, Quinton, Samuel and Benjamin, chose to do work supporting the park.

Years ago, Quinton created a canoe launch that included a path and sign at the east end of the park. Samuel then worked to clear a long stretch of vegetation  from the river banks, opening up a view of the river and the bridge.

Three years later, Benjamin cleaned up some of the same shoreline, constructed the bench and installed a separate bicycle work stand and air pump.

The wood bench now offers a clear view of the river and the bridge.

Bolduc said his family thought of Carlson as a grandfather.

“We wanted this to be the kind of place Neal Carlson wanted it to be. Our little contribution is this stretch,” Bolduc  said. “We’re hoping that many people will have the opportunity to come here and enjoy this.”

About 20 people gathered Saturday to commemorate the bench. Among those attending was Carlson’s daughter, Sue Mock, who was joined by her immediate family.

Organizers had hoped Carlson’s wife, Joy, would be able to attend, but she had to cancel because of illness. Mock said her mother was devastated that she could not attend, but was honored by the memorial bench.

She said one of her father’s greatest abilities was to bring together different groups for a cause bigger than their own entity.

“There’s a lot of neat people that have come together to make this work. It’s so pretty,” said Mock.

She attempted to put her father’s legacy into perspective.

“He continues to care for this community through you, through Boy Scouts, through his church, through our family,” she said. “We’ve all been blessed by his touch and his vision.”

The fact that the Bolduc boys achieved four Eagle Scout projects was also recognized by several people, including Ken Locke, who serves as the Eagle Board of Review chairman.

“It’s an incredible story and a tribute to your family,” Locke told Bolduc.