Driving along Monument Road in Jacksonville, I had seen the sign a few times. I finally decided to look him up, thinking maybe Pappy Boynton was the same as David Boynton. Apparently, George "Pappy" Boyington, one of my childhood heroes from watching reruns of Black Sheep Squadron, is not the namesake for the portion of Monument north of McCormick.
The parkway is also not named after the semi-famous Hawaiian who was
"a leading expert on the natural history of the Hawaiian island of Kauai" (Wikipedia).
"a leading expert on the natural history of the Hawaiian island of Kauai" (Wikipedia).
Nope, David was a local man who wanted to help beautify Monument Road. I like that. It's more than a lot of folks do in retirement, and it benefits all of us after he left us. Even though David was gone before I relocated here, I appreciate his community service, and I think it's cool to have a street sign to honor a guy who helped make the road look nicer.
Actually, it's a good idea for retired folks to have projects, or else they get all crotchety. According to Eldersource, we're in for an influx of retirees:
There are currently around 150,000 adults aged 60 and over in Duval County, or nearly 1 in 5 residents. By 2030, 1 in 3 residents will be over the age of 60.
I hope that 1 in 3 people will be working like David Boynton. In fact, if you are currently retired in Jacksonville and looking for something to do, maybe a similar project would interest you. Maybe start it through church or with your neighbors. Get creative. If you contact me with your idea, I'll add it to this website to help promote it. Back in 2014, this was the info for David's cause: Monument Road Beautification
4221 Stratford Way
Jacksonville, Florida 32225