Gary has been an active neighbor in Walnut Hills since the late 1970’s. He has worked on community gardens, including the school garden across from Frederick Douglass School. Currently he is the Health Outreach Coordinator at the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation.
Gary moved to Walnut Hills to rehab a house on Crown Street. Back then his enthusiasm exceeded his knowledge, but he found ways to learn, especially thru the PBS series, “This Old House.”
“It was my Sesame Street.”
Gary’s neighbors were Black and mostly elderly. Nevertheless, he made friends and shared in the life of the community. Here he describes being the go-to handyman and taking care of pets.
“We had a time-share kitty cat!”
Gary planned his rehab so that he could do most of the work without dealing with a lot of governmental interventions.
“I had a strategy: Let your house go to hell.”