Lippincott Park
SIZE	1.5 Acres
LOCATION	3230 Renwick Avenue, West of Laguna Town Hall (WEST LAGUNA)
PARK FEATURES	Open Turf Area Benches
COMPLETED	2001
BIOGRAPHY	James D. "Denny" Lippincott has been a dedicated leader in the successful effort to create and sustain a Senior Center for the Elk Grove community. Born in October of 1914 to James and Bertha Lippincott, Denny enjoyed a healthy childhood on the family farm outside Brooks, Iowa, with his four brothers and one sister. A high school graduate in the midst of the Great Depression, he and his brother were lured to sunny southern California. Denny settled in Maywood and took a job at General Electric Company where an accident in the sheet metal shop severed most of his right hand. Early in his recovery he was inspired to keep going by another young man who was courageously learning to adjust after being paralyzed from the chest down. Encouraged by this experience, Denny pursued a career in cost accounting. After earning his diploma, however, he was refused one position after another and told, "people won't be comfortable around a man missing most of one hand." Undaunted, he returned to G.E. and successfully held positions in almost every department from Parts to Shipping, and ever back into Sheet Metal, over the next three and a half decades. In 1975, upon his retirement, Denny moved to Elk Grove with his wife Kathleen to be closer to their son, Wayne. Unfortunately, Kathleen passed away the next year after struggling with a heart ailment. In an attempt to work through his grief, Denny joined a gathering of local seniors in 1976. Through this group he soon found a project that became his passion for more than twenty years; constructing and sustaining a community senior center. He also met Ann, his wife of 24 years. From the time the idea was envisioned in 1978, Denny's efforts and energy laid a firm foundation with which to support the Senior Center of Elk Grove. Although the sign identifies it as the "Lippincott Building," he is quick to add that "nearly everyone in the community helped" to make the facility in Beeman Park possible. Denny was a leader in visiting local businesses, churches and civic organizations to acquire their support. He and Ann were among the faithful who worked to both fund and construct the original building completed in 1983. During the construction phase, he worked on projects big and small, from scooping rainwater from foundation trenches to making phone calls to organize donated labor. Denny helped with fund-raising efforts that, along with a grant, made construction of the subsequent addition to the center possible in 1989. Among his efforts to aid the ongoing activities at the center, Denny completed a four-four route six days a week with Ann by his side for two years to pick up materials donated for fundraising projects. In 1999, Ann's failing health required the couple to modify their service activities. Denny continues as a member of the board of directors and helps distribute food commodities once a month. The couple are thankful for the love and continued support of their family including Denny's son, Wayne, and Ann's children, Bob Givens of Rancho Cordova and Louise Demus of Parker, Arizona, and their grandchildren.
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