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Courtesy of The Connection, October 31, 2007
© 2007 The Connection
To Honor a Trailblazer
Family of John Ringle Dedicate Path in his Memory
By Amber Healy
It was a day John Ringle would have loved. Bright blue skies, leaves just starting to turn into their autumn colors, air crisp but not too cold.
Friends and family gathered on the narrow path Ringle built during seven days in December 1980 to honor his memory, and his legendary feat, with a ceremony and the unveiling of a plaque, dedicating the path to the marina in Sandy Run Park to his memory.
Ringle had attended a motivational conference that week, his wife Maxine Ringle said, which had focused on setting goals and accomplishing them right away.
"So, John and I went out and walked the trail that weekend," she said. "He marked off all the trees he wanted to save and took out the brush."
Bill Cole, a longtime friend of the Ringle family, said the path goes from the marina to a viewing dock where crew races end.
"John would be delighted by this," he said. "Any time he could get out on the land, that's what he'd do. He'd be happy to be outside today, he'd love days like this."
December 1980 was especially cold, Cole recalled, but John Ringle was determined to get the trail built right away.
"There was some snow on the ground and one of the bulldozers rolled off the edge here," Cole said. "Luckily, no one got hurt. John just kept on going until it was finished."
JOHN RINGLE is often called the Father of the Occoquan for his work as a developer, who worked with the county to preserve land along the Occoquan River with 5-acre zoning legislation. He and his wife were honored by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2004 for their conservation work, and again in 2006 with a mention in the Congressional Record after John Ringle's death.
Michelle Ringle Clay said her father's legacy is in the communities he built but, more importantly, in the preservation of the Occoquan River.
"This is a great tribute to my dad," she said. "My father really loved this area. He built all the trails in English Hills so I could ride horses. The legacy he leaves behind is the beauty he helped create. He created dreams."
Dan Borinsky, who purchased his home from Ringle in the 1970s, said the plaque dedication was a fitting tribute.
"John had the sense that he could make money and still benefit the welfare of the county," Borinsky said. "He could've made so much more money, but he did the right thing."
On the drive to the ceremony, Borinsky said he was pleased to see signs warning drivers to watch out for deer and other wildlife. He believes, if it were not for John Ringle, there would be no deer to see along the Occoquan.
Calling John Ringle a visionary, Al Akers said Ringle knew what he was doing in 1982 when he began working with Fairfax County to preserve the land, which will remain preserved in perpetuity.
"John loved life and lived it to the fullest," Akers said. "He knew you had to do as much as you can and have as much fun as you can while you're here."
Karen Nafzinger Moore grew up in English Hills, in a house that did not exist when her parents bought the land from John Ringle.
"He drove us out into a field and showed us the land, but we could tell right away it was going to be beautiful," she said. "He envisioned it all, he saw that beautiful community. If it wasn't for him, this side of Route 123 would look like Lorton, with houses all over the place."