Weinberger Memorial Garden

Weinberger Memorial Garden. Pat Weinberger. , Pat and her husband Larry moved from Akron, Ohio, to Ojai in 1968. She soon began her work to shape the future of the Ojai Valley for the better, including: , Preservation by Act of Congress of 3,500 acres around Lake Casitas (which had been zoned for 10,000 new homes) as the Teague Memorial Watershed. , Stopped a proposed freeway through Ojai from Carpinteria to Santa Paula and a four-lane Highway 33 from Casitas Springs into Ojai. , Defeated a five-mile-long phosphate mine atop Pine Mountain. , Pat wished to be remembered for her love of men, dogs, cats, champagne, and Lake Casitas. , Wheeler Fire , We citizens of the Ojai Valley, whose lives and properties were imperiled by the Wheeler Fire of July 1985, by means of this tribute, express our gratitude to those whose courage, skill and devotion tamed the inferno that ultimately devastated 119,361 acres. , Our abiding thanks to the more than 3,000 gallant men and women, working through local, state, federal and private agencies, who by extraordinary effort and fortitude, averted catastrophe. , We can never forget you. , Cory Iverson , Cal Fire Engineer, Escondido. , Cory Iverson gave his life on December 14, 2017, fighting the Thomas Fire, the largest wildfire in California history, which burned 281,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. , The people of the Ojai Valley owe Cory and the other 8,500 firefighters who battled this blaze an enormous debt of gratitude for protecting our valley from further devastation. , We will never forget Cory's sacrifice, and that of his family. , We dedicate this memorial to Cory's wife Ashley and their two daughters, Evie and Taylor Iverson.