John
McLaren (1846-1943) received the Pugsley Silver Medal in 1935 for his work in
developing Golden Gate Park. McLaren was born not far from Stirling Castle in
his native Scotland. McLaren's first job at the age of 14 was as a gardener at
Bannockbarn House, a small estate less than half a mile from his home. After he
had served his apprenticeship, he followed the path of dreams to California to
begin a prearranged tenure as the head gardener on a San Mateo County estate.
On a small peninsula called Coyote Point that juts into Bay, he planted at one
time 70,000 trees.
He was an astute judge of San Francisco society and was perhaps
the best-loved man in San Francisco. In 1917, when McLaren reached the
mandatory retirement age of 70, the citizens protested with such vehemence and
devotion that the Board of Supervisors wrote legislation that permitted him to
remain superintendent as long as he lived. McLaren died in 1943. For 80 years
he had lived by his father's admonition: " Me boy, if ye have nothing to do,
go plant a tree and it will grow while ye sleep". In 1927, a 550-acre park
he had created in southern hills overlooking the bay was named John McLaren
Park.