Laura E. Wilson

Honored May, 2003

Laura E. Wilson

Laura Wilson understands neighborhoods, she understands trees and grass, and she understands the difference between an "eyesore" and a place of beauty. And for the past three decades, after moving here in 1972, she has worked to make Santa Fe better through her understanding of these things.

When the neighborhood association movement took hold in Santa Fe several years ago, Wilson agreed to become chairperson of the Don Diego association when no one else volunteered to take the helm. Under her leadership, this group became one of the city’s most active and productive such organizations.

A certified landscape architect, Wilson took special interest in preserving the green and shady City Park on Pueblo Drive, just west of Don Diego Avenue. Careful to work within the established municipal process, she attended many meetings with the City Parks Department, devised sound procedures for the stately elms and the grass below, with a minimum use of water, and worked to gain a consensus from neighbors.