It's only appropriate, Hermitage city and school officials said, that Olympic gold medalist Rod White's name be immortalized.
On Sunday, officials did just that.
A recreational area being built behind the Hermitage municipal buildings and Pennsylvania National Guard Armory will be called Rodney White Olympic Park.
Rod White smiles Sunday afternoon after learning that a park in Hermitage has been named for him to honor his gold medal won last week in the Olympics. He is holding a plaque showing an illustration of the Rodney White Olympic Park. (Gene Paulson/Herald)
It honors the 19-year-old Hermitage man who was part of the American archery team that won a gold medal at the Olympics. It was the first time in U.S. history that an American team claimed the archery gold.
It's also the first time that someone from Mercer County came home from an Olympics with a gold.
When it's finished, Rodney White Park will include a two-lane road extending north from the rear of Hickory High School, behind the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory and then past the Hermitage city building and its annex.
Two ballfields and a handicapped-accessible playground are planned east of the access road. Behind the high school, a new football field, track and tennis courts are planned.
Also planned is a meandering walkway extending the length of the school, armory and city buildings, concealed in part by trees, sloping terrain and buildings owned by Mercer County Association for the Retarded.
A few weeks ago, the state Department of Community and Economic Development approved an $85,000 grant for the project. The city and school district will have to match that amount, with the municipality providing $32,500 and the school district providing $52,500.
published Sunday, Aug. 4,1996
