Tom LaBonge worked for the city of Los Angeles for over 40 years. He was a staff member for City Councilwoman Peggy Stevenson, Councilman John Ferraro, and Mayor Richard Riordan. He served as City Council member for Los Angeles' Fourth District for 14 years, from 2001-2015. LaBonge was known as "Mr. Los Angeles" for his enthusiastic promotion of the city. He took a special interest in celebrating and improving Griffith Park. Encompassing over 4,210 acres in the heart of Los Angeles, Griffith Park is one of the largest urban parks in North America. The Tom LaBonge Collection on Griffith Park measures approximately 14 linear feet and documents a wide range of issues related to Griffith Park and the surrounding Fourth District. The bulk of materials are from 1990-2015 and include city planning files, research files, photographs, maps, artwork, and memorabilia.

Thomas (Tom) Joseph LaBonge (1953 – 2021) was born in Los Angeles, California on 1953 October 6 to his parents, Mary Louise Learnihan LaBonge and Robert LaBonge. He grew up in Silverlake (an eastside neighborhood in Los Angeles, California) and was the seventh of eight sons. He graduated from John Marshall High School and earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University, Los Angeles. Griffith Park was founded in 1896 when Colonel Griffith J. Griffith donated 3,015 acres of land to the people of Los Angeles to be used for recreation and relaxation. Today, Griffith Park has expanded to 4,015 acres of open space and is one of the largest urban parks in North America. The park's elevation ranges from 384 to 1,625 feet above sea level and contains natural coastal-sage scrub, oak woodlands, and riparian habitats. The park hosts many public attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Observatory, the Autry Museum of the American West, picnic areas, playgrounds, hiking trails, bike paths, Travel Town, and a merry-go-round. Dante's View is a two-acre folk garden situated at a tree-shaded viewpoint along the trail to Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. The garden was started by Dante Orgolini (1905-1978) in 1965. Dante Orgolini was an artist of Italian descent who grew up in Brazil and immigrated to Los Angeles. He also worked as an actor, foreign correspondent, translator, movie technical advisor, insurance salesman, and hotel manager. He began cultivating the garden in Griffith Park (with permission of Park Rangers) by hiking plants and gardening tools up to the viewpoint as a way to heal from a difficult divorce. Over time, volunteers joined the effort and donated their time and plants to help Orgolini create a terraced garden with rock walls, paths, steps, and picnic tables. This garden became a social focal point in Griffith Park and Orgolini hosted weekly Sunday parties with food and music for volunteers and park visitors.

14 Linear Feet approximate

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