LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Tupper Thomas upon the occasion of her
retirement after 30 years of distinguished service to the Prospect Park
Alliance, to be celebrated on Saturday, April 2, 2011

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body seeks to acknowledge those individuals
whose professional lives and civic endeavors serve to enhance the stat-
ure of the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commend Tupper
Thomas upon the occasion of her retirement after 30 years of distin-
guished service to the Prospect Park Alliance, to be celebrated on
Saturday, April 2, 2011; and
WHEREAS, This special occasion is to make a "Toast to Tupper" who
retired after over three decades of visionary service to Prospect Park;
her legacy and vision has transformed Prospect Park into a place that is
not only a national model for urban parks but also the true heart of New
York City's most populous borough; and
WHEREAS, For the past 30 years, Tupper Thomas rendered faithful,
conscientious and valuable service to Prospect Park Alliance; and
WHEREAS, After 30 years as Park Administrator and 23 as President,
Tupper Thomas will step down in early 2011; in her dual roles, she is
credited with restoring Brooklyn's Prospect Park; and
WHEREAS, Prospect Park was built in the 1860s by Central Park design-
ers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux; but by the 1950s, the park
was on a steady decline, suffering from poor maintenance and high crime;
in 1979, the year before Tupper Thomas started, park attendance fell and
was near an all-time low; and
WHEREAS, Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Tupper Thomas is
responsible for saving the original vision Frederick Law Olmsted and
Calvert Vaux had for the park; her strong and positive attitude produced
results where others saw little hope; she is a true asset to society;
and
WHEREAS, Earning her master's degree in urban planning from the Pratt
Institute, Tupper Thomas co-founded the non-profit Prospect Park Alli-
ance to help restore the park; its first project was renovating the
park's carousel which had been closed for years; and
WHEREAS, Under Tupper Thomas' leadership, educational programming was
implemented, community involvement was enhanced and there has been a
tremendous increase in the number of individuals and businesses who
support the park; the number of annual visits to the park has increased
from one and a half million to nine million; and
WHEREAS, In her capacity as President, Tupper Thomas served with
loyalty, honor and distinction; and
WHEREAS, In her official acts, Tupper Thomas was governed by a keen
sense of duty and always showed a unique grasp of human problems; and
WHEREAS, During her tenure with Prospect Park Alliance, Tupper Thomas
earned the admiration, esteem and affection of her colleagues; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Tupper Thomas upon the occasion of her retirement after 30 years
of distinguished service; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Tupper Thomas.