River Advocate John FitzGerald Named Petaluma's Good Egg

John FitzGerald, a longtime advocate of the river and downtown Petaluma, has been named this year's Good Egg.

The award is given to people who work tp promote Petaluma and its history and will be presented at the Butter & Egg Days Parade Opening Ceremony on April 21 at noon at the .

Just as the theme of this year’s parade, “River of Dreams – Then & Now” celebrates the history and importance of the Petaluma River, FitzGerald has made the river the focus of his preservation and advocacy work for more than 25 years.

“Fitz” as his friends call him, “has volunteered his time in many areas to help promote, preserve and contribute to the City of Petaluma and its history,” according to Barbara and Mitch Lind who nominated him for the award.

The award is organized by the Petaluma Downtown Association. Candidates are nominated by the public and chosen by past Good Eggs.

Thousands of residents and visitors have experienced a part of Petaluma’s river history because of FitzGerald’s efforts to bring the scow schooner Alma, one of the most famous commercial boats in Petaluma’s history, to dock at the Turning Basin.

Always eager to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for Petaluma history and the river in particular, FitzGerald has made presentations to Leadership Petaluma groups about the history of “Port of Petaluma” and Petaluma’s first surveyor, James Stratton.

Another river-related project that FitzGerald is passionate about is restoration of the as well as working to bring back the Petaluma Trolley.

FitzGerald has served on numerous advisory committees beginning in 1986 when he was a founding member of the Petaluma River Festival. He went on to serve on the Petaluma River Access and Enhancement Plan Advisory Committee and the Central Petaluma Specific Plan Citizens Advisory Committee, which focused on Petaluma’s historic downtown and river.

More recently, Fitzgerald has chaired the Chamber of Commerce’s River Committee. For the past three years, he has actively worked with the Petaluma Water Ways Project to retain riverfront accessibility at sites from North Water Street to Shollenberger Park.

Do you know John FitzGerald?