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A longtime Pleasanton resident and a local Eagle Scout have teamed up to turn wood from an old walnut tree cut down last year into five community benches.Â
Donna McMillon said the project ensures the tree lives on and also preserves a piece of Pleasanton’s past; the tree was one of several planted by her great-grandfather, Henry P. Mohr, one of the city’s first settlers, in the late 1890s, she said.
“It’s almost emotional for me because now the community will know more about history and Henry Mohr,” said McMillon, an author who last year published “Cruising Down Memory Lane: Stories of Pleasanton in the 1950s.” “It just makes me feel good.”
McMillon said she was biking down the Martin Avenue pathway toward Mohr Avenue — named in honor of her great-grandfather — last year when she noticed the tree being cut down.
Because of the tree’s historical ties to her family and Pleasanton, McMillon said, she wanted to find some way to preserve it. She started asking around and learned that Eagle Scout troops often make benches.
She eventually got in touch with Prithvi Sukamar, a Foothill High School senior who has been involved with Scouting America since he was 6 years old. He is currently a member of Scouts BSA Troop 941, which he joined when he was in fifth grade.
At the time, Sukamar was trying to find an Eagle Scout project. The Eagle Scout rank is the highest of seven rankings in the program and must be achieved before the scout turns 18. It requires scouts to complete a community service project to benefit a nonprofit group. Being named an Eagle Scout is a prestigious honor; just 4%-6% of eligible scouts earn the ranking each year.
Sukamar’s scout leader, who is also McMillon’s neighbor, told him about her community benches project and, after talking over the phone, the two decided to work together to make it happen. Sukamar said he was particularly drawn to the project because it was unique and carried a message about preserving the city’s history.
Turning the benches from an idea into a reality was a long process, Sukamar said, as he was also juggling the workload of his junior year. The steps included designing the benches, getting the appropriate permits through the city and building the benches.
“It was genuinely such a memorable experience for me,” he said. “The thing that tied it all up was the fact that this was going to be here for many, many, many years to come.”
Sukamar credited the scouting leaders, fellow troop members and all the adults who helped him cut the logs and lent him the woodworking tools to shape them. He said he wouldn’t have been able to complete the project before his 18th birthday — which was just a couple of weeks ago — without their support.
Mohr was a farmer who patented a threshing machine and also served as a charter member and president of the Amador Valley High School district board of trustees in the 1920s. He helped found the First National Bank of Pleasanton and was its president for 20 years.
Sukamar moved to Pleasanton in 2019 and said he appreciated the chance to work on something that taught him so much about his city’s history and will hopefully do the same for future generations.
“I like the idea that it gives people a chance to form communities, (learn) about history,” he said. “It feels great to know that I was able to produce something … for the community to enjoy.”
McMillon similarly said she hopes the benches will help keep her great-grandfather’s memory alive and continue to educate residents about the city’s rich history while also providing a space where people can gather.
“I think it’s so special,” she said. “We have so many new people now in our community, and so now they can learn our history too.”
