Summit Metro Parks has about 5 million visits each year – made up of people who visit many times a year, and those lucky few who visit daily. These park visitors may be in a phase of life that affords time for this ritual – such as pre- or post-career. However it comes about, what a joy to reconnect and come home to the trails.
James Hower cycling through Summit Metro Parks in 1997.
Nature is a center during eras in our lives when we can invite her in, and take time to run, walk or ride the trails. Those who love the outdoors might, on occasion, envision phases in life when the value of parks and trails became true and important for them. Formative times of discovery in childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and retirement are often the touch points when we come home and get closer to nature.
After work, and on the weekends, James Hower rode his bicycle along the Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail daily – logging thousands of miles. He wrote annually with his donation to the Summit Metro Parks Foundation, “We love the bike trail!” and, “Keep the Towpath going!” Jim’s ties to the community extended deeply in Akron and beyond, and he has been greatly missed since his passing in 2022.
A man of quiet substance, Jim gave in many ways, not the least of which was through long careers at his manufacturing company and as a volunteer fireman and paramedic for Bath Township.
In addition to his daily rides, Jim added another connection to the trails through a planned gift, which the Summit Metro Parks Foundation received in 2023. Now, through the Green Islands Legacy Society, James Hower’s love of the parks lives on for all of us to enjoy, allowing us to come home to nature and the trails when the time of life is right.
We’re grateful to those who have made a planned gift to Summit Metro Parks or the Summit Metro Parks Foundation. Those who have done so are recognized here as part of the Green Islands Legacy Society. Planned gifts (such as bequests) are a wonderful way to make a lasting difference for your parks.
- Beau Abdenour
- Anonymous (2)
- Julie Nicholas Amos
- Elizabeth Baker
- David Bilas & Amy Dana
- Alice M. Bittner
- Bruce H. Buchholzer
- Edna L. Carlson
- Helen S. Coup
- Craig J. Culler
- Laureen Drapp
- Jennifer E. Gaylor
- Christian Graham
- James Hower
- Samuel & Valerie S. Hudspath
- Mike Johnson
- David Jones
- Kathryn Kilpatrick
- Susan Korosa
- Harold F. Levinson
- Joan Leslie Long
- Emil A. Merkle
- Taylor Papiernik & Rachel Schlagel
- George E. Seccombe
- Charles E. & Ruth A. Shea
- James & Letha Skinner
- Sharon Stump
- Marion L. Taylor
- Matilda Varga
- Marilyn Vernon
- Mildred C. Walzer
- Hoyt & Merdith Wells
- Carol Zeh
For more stories like this, check out Green Islands magazine, a bi-monthly publication from Summit Metro Parks. Summit County residents can sign up to receive the publication at home free of charge.