Memorial proposed for Chuck Jones

June Casagrande

CORONA DEL MAR -- To one Corona del Mar resident, as to countless

millions worldwide, Chuck Jones embodied the American spirit.

And Laura Dietz, for one, says the city should recognize that spirit.

Jones, a longtime Newport Beach resident, was the creative influence

behind some of the never-say-die cartoon characters that illustrated to

the world the tenacity and optimism that’s synonymous with America.

“The Roadrunner always seems to be able to avoid the disaster of the

old coyote. And Foghorn Leghorn is this wonderful warm, caring character.

In my personal favorite, Pepe LePew, again there’s this sense of an

undaunted spirit, which to me is so much the essence of what our society,

our culture, is all about.”

The creator of these beloved characters as well as Bugs Bunny, Daffy

Duck and the Grinch, died of congestive heart failure last week.

In his honor, Dietz has come up with a way Jones can always be part of

what makes Newport Beach home. Dietz has proposed finding a way to

memorialize Jones at city parks and playgrounds.

“More than just a plaque, I’m thinking perhaps of representations of

the figures that everybody will recognize. Perhaps sculptures used as

the basis of playground equipment. It’s just as big as your imagination

is.”

Dietz announced at last week’s City Council meeting her plans to

present the idea to the city’s Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission.

“I’m just trying to throw the seeds on the ground and see what pops

up,” said Dietz, who last week was also appointed to the city’s General

Plan Advisory Committee. “All I can say for sure is that these characters

make you smile and that’s just good for everybody.”

Officials may agree.

“I had the pleasure to know him some years ago,” Mayor Tod Ridgeway

said, recounting a time he once dined with Jones. “He was truly an

extraordinary person.”