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Jim Dilley

by Doug Miller and Sasha Evans

Laguna Greenbelt Founder, Jim Dilley<br> (Photo by Doug Miller)
Laguna Greenbelt Founder, Jim Dilley
(Photo by Doug Miller)

Jim Dilley

Jim Dilley

No one else worked harder than Jim Dilley

to keep his vision keen

to keep the hillsides green

around Laguna

Sycamore Canyon (Photo by Doug Miller (http://www.lagunagreenbelt.org/laguna)
Sycamore Canyon (Photo by Doug Miller (http://www.lagunagreenbelt.org/laguna)

 

And there were loads of folks

who loved him when he spoke

about the English country he had seen.

 

Dilley stood tall

in the Supervisors' hall

as he spoke about the ways to keep hills green

 

 

(http://www.lagunagreenbelt.org/laguna)
(http://www.lagunagreenbelt.org/laguna)

 

He slowly turned the tide

got the city council on his side

so many in Laguna became his fans

 

Irvine had their say

but Dilley won the day

and he showed them all a different way to plan

 

(http://www.lagunagreenbelt.org/laguna)
(http://www.lagunagreenbelt.org/laguna)

Where old Laguna folks

have picnics in the oaks

and the summer sun shines through the canyon trees

 

Where clubs ride mountain bikes

and classes go for hikes

and flowered ridges sit high above the sea.

 

 

Barbara's Lake (Photo by Jerry Burtchfield (http://www.lagunagreenbelt.org/laguna)
Barbara's Lake (Photo by Jerry Burtchfield (http://www.lagunagreenbelt.org/laguna)

 

 

CHORUS

Jim Dilley

Jim Dilley

No one else worked harder than Jim Dilley

to keep his vision keen

to keep the hillsides green

around Laguna

Page created on 8/2/2014 2:56:06 PM

Last edited 1/5/2017 4:57:02 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Laguna Greenbelt - Laguna Greenbelt History
Laguna Canyon Foundation - is dedicated to preserving, protecting, enhancing, and promoting the South Coast Wilderness Area.
Success Story Saving Laguna Greenbelt and Laguna Canyon - lagunaconcerns.com
Laguna Canyon Area - caopenspace.org/laguna

Related Books

 

Author Info

Listen to the performance of the original song "Ditty for Dilley" at the 5th Annual Laguna Hero Fest

Sasha Evans and Doug Miller

Sasha and Doug have performed together since 2007 and continue to delight audiences throughout Orange County and Los Angeles, most recently as an opening act for Rita Rudner at the Laguna Beach Playhouse last summer.

Doug was introduced to Jim Dilley by Barbara Stuart, his wonderful landlady, mentor and dear friend (and another Greenbelt hero, for whom Barbara's Lake is named). Doug was a lucky fly on the wall during many of the Laguna Greenbelt Meetings in the 1970's and he was happy to pen this little paean to Jim Dilley, a man he has respected and admired for many years.