GOOD NEIGHBOR REWARDED OAK TREE DEDICATION HONORS LONG COMMUNITY SERVICE.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - Voyl Riggins was honored Saturday with the dedication of an oak tree that was named ``Riggy'' after the longtime Canyon Country resident. Although the tree was named for Voyl, the honor extended to his wife, as well.

``It's a marvelous honor to be recognized for our 47 years of community service,'' Verna ``Pug'' Riggins said. ``It's been a pleasure to do what gave us this honor today. Everything we did we wanted to do.''

Voyl ``Rig'' Riggins, who was recently hospitalized after falling and breaking his hip, was unable to attend the dedication ceremony, but his wife said that the naming of the tree was something that he had been looking forward to.

``He would have been so overwhelmed, so honored'' Verna Riggins said of her husband. ``He would have been so delighted.''

Rig Riggins had adopted the struggling sapling on Ravenglenn Road off Ravenhill Road in the Sand Canyon community as his own after moving into the neighborhood in 1954.

Every day, the retired LAPD officer who in his retirement became a truck driver, would bring it a bucket of water, providing it not only with necessary nutrients but also his love.

A plaque posted adjacent to the tree reads, ``This tree is dedicated to our neighborhood godfather.'' A yellow ribbon was also tied to the tree and will be untied by Rig, once he returns home.

``I know the type of person he is and this is very fitting,'' said Jurgen Stehnike, one of the Rigginses' many friends, neighbors and co-workers who attended the ceremony.

Stehnike's wife, Diane, agreed. ``They have done so much for the community,'' she said. ``He has an intense love for animals, nature and the community.''

When the Rigginses moved into their home, they were one of three original homeowners.

Since then they have given their time and efforts to the community putting in countless hours to a variety of organizations.

They formed the Prairie 4-H Club of Santa Clarita, providing children an opportunity to experience hands-on training with animals.

They offered tractor lessons, were active in the Sulphur Springs PTA, raised money for the American Field Service Program, took in a foreign exchange student, belonged to the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Circle, hosted the Home Town Jamboree Barbeque and helped raise money to move and rebuild the Mitchell Adobe to Heritage Park in Newhall.

Rig Riggins was also a early recycler. He would take items that could no longer be used in their original condition, dismantling them and transforming various parts and pieces into useful objects and then returning them to his neighbors.

``He was the world's best recycler before recycling ever started,'' Stehnike said. ``He would take scrap lumber and turn it into firewood. He let nothing go to waste.''

Neighbor Steve Stone said that the naming of the tree after the Rigginses was a welcome site but felt they deserve an even bigger honor.

``They should build a skyscraper for them,'' Stone said. ``They were always there and always willing to help. They were truly good neighbors.''

Though many activities for the couple stopped in 1997 when Rig suffered a stroke, the two still remain mentors to many in the community who follow in their footsteps.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) As family members watch on, Pat Riggins, right, unveils a marker naming an oak tree in honor of his father, Voyl ``Rig'' Riggins, and mother, Verna ``Pug'' Riggins, left, for their nearly 50 years of community service to Canyon Country.

(2 -- color) Verna Riggins attends a ceremony dedicating an oak tree to her husband, Voyl, for his activism.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer