Pacoima Park to Be Renamed for Hero

The Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Commission has agreed to rename a Pacoima park in honor of a 21-year-old World War II hero from the community, the first Los Angeles resident to win a Medal of Honor in that war.

The Pacoima Recreation Center will be renamed the David M. Gonzales Recreation Center at a ceremony June 1, the 40th anniversary of the park’s opening.

Gonzales was killed in the battle for Luzon in the Philippines in April, 1945, after he rescued three companions who had been buried under debris by an enemy bomb. When the city opened the new park in 1950, city officials dedicated a plaque to his memory.

In anticipation of the anniversary, community residents, led by friends and relatives of the slain soldier, petitioned the city to change the name, saying the park is commonly referred to as Gonzales park by area residents.