This book is a history of a community, and, moreover, a history by that community. In January, 2007, Jeannine Turgeon began to recruit a committee of Bellevue Park neighbors, volunteers who would be willing to produce a book about their neighborhood in honor of its 100th anniversary. Initial members were Clark and Vickie Bucher, Dan Deibler and Elizabeth Johnson, Chris Dick, Frank Haas, Hannah Leavitt, Carol Lopus, Mo Lynn, Bonnie Mark, Debbie Nifong, Peggy and Dan Purdy, John Quimby, Sue Ellen Ramer, Olivia Susskind, Doris Ulsh, Phil and Mary Walsh, Mary Warner, and Gretchen Yarnall. Prof. Michael Barton of Penn State Harrisburg was invited to serve as a consultant and general editor for the project, and we selected Xlibris as our publisher. In these early months, outlines were organized and re-organized, topics were proposed and discarded, and suggestions of all sorts were submitted and accepted or reluctantly retracted to fit within the publisher’s limits and the book’s budget.

"This is the extraordinary story of the Bellevue Downtown Park, a stunning, once in a generation, achievement. Significant, influential downtown parks are exceedingly rare in this country, particularly in suburban or edge cities. Great cities have great park systems and great park systems have signature urban parks. The Bellevue Downtown Park set the standard for Bellevue's world class park system. This amazing park is the product of exceptional leadership, political courage, exemplary collaboration and a coherent vision. This book is a tribute to the hearty band of special community leaders who did what needed to be done to leave a marvelous legacy to future generations of residents, employees and visitors. The Bellevue Downtown Park is a source of pride and identity for the citizens of Bellevue and its story should be of interest to both Bellevue residents and urban park advocates everywhere"--Page 4 of cover.