The city of St. Joseph tried in vain to find an heir to France Park.
In just one day, he found them.
Erwin Hargrove, of Nashville, Tenn., did not learn of the controversy that surrounded his Great Uncle Albert France's gift until an old friend from high school called and read him a newspaper article over the phone.
Mr. Hargrove's mother, Gladys (France) Hargrove, was the daughter of Robert France, Albert's older brother.
"They must not have looked very hard, because I'm right here," Mr. Hargrove said.
The potential heir said he understood why the city had difficulty locating family members who lived out of state.
The deadline for heirs to step forward passed Nov. 10, at which time the land fell under control of the state of Missouri. Mr. Hargrove talked to Assistant City Attorney Ted Elo on Thursday about his legal options. According to Mr. Hargrove, the case would go to probate court, where a judge would determine if he was a legal heir. If so, Mr. Hargrove would decide what to do with the land.
Mr. Elo said after he spoke with Mr. Hargrove, he set aside the Dec. 4 order which allowed the park to fall under state control. Next, he had to send paperwork to Mr. Hargrove to clear up issues relating to the park's ownership.
"I'm trying to squeeze two weeks' worth of work into five days," Mr. Elo said.
Mr. Hargrove last visited St. Joseph in October for his 60th class reunion - he graduated from Central High School in 1948. He remembers the park and still has memories of the uncle who donated the land.
If the park becomes a political football, Mr. Hargrove should know how to handle it. He works as a professor emeritus in political science at Vanderbilt University and has a Ph.D. from Yale University.
"I can see that there would be pressure on me to keep it a park, but I haven't considered any other alternatives yet," Mr. Hargrove said.
The controversy began when a group of residents complained more than a year ago about youth football practices at the park. Some people claimed that the practices clogged parking in the area and led to excess trash.
The estate of Albert France deeded the one-block park near 27th and Clay streets to the city, with stipulations that it would remain an open green space and would not be used for organized sports. After the initial complaints, the city decided it did not want to operate the park under the current restrictions, so it sought the France family heirs so it could return the land. When no heirs were found, the land fell under state control.
Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com.
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Another_Victim_Of_Uncle_SCAM says...
Talk about a moron who supposedly tried searching for an heir to this land, "The city of St. Joseph tried in vain to find an heir to France Park."
What does the city consider "tried in vain" to consist of; looking out the office window for a few seconds and not seeing anyone carrying a banner saying they are the rightful heir, and then returning to their desk to drink their latte? And yet it merely took one person a few minutes to read the article, and one simple phone call to find the rightful heir?
Give me a break, I have never in my life witnessed such a blatant lack of intelligence in the city government as I have witnessed in St. Joe. This is absolutely the most ridiculous news article I have ever read in my entire life, however, it does not surprise me one bit coming from the city leaders.
December 20, 2008 at 6:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ShirleeK says...
AVoUS,
So how would you go about searching for the rightful heir and how do you know that the city did not do it the same way?
December 20, 2008 at 6:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Another_Victim_Of_Uncle_SCAM says...
For starters I would have conducted an extensive and exhaustive search of their family tree, in which I truly believe would have produced tremendous and accurate results almost immediately. If for some reason that search was fruitless, I would have contacted the FBI, in which I have personally found to be the most helpful avenue in solving an identity theft situation a few years ago, whereas they discovered and located the perpetrator in less than 20 minutes in a matter that I had worked on for the past 2 years.
As far as knowing the extent of search criteria that was employed "in vain" by the city in locating Mr. Hargrove, I do not work for the city, and thus I have no knowledge of what avenues were implemented. My criticism of the city comes from reading Mr. Hargrove's own words, in which he said "They must not have looked very hard, because I'm right here."
December 20, 2008 at 7:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
heritage_sarahhochschwender says...
victim, you have to consider the source........... stjoPROUD.
i believe that the france family owned a huge second empire manse at hall and eight street at one point. the carriage house still stands. really, all the city probably needed to do was to contact carol A, who is legendary here for her meticulous research for historic properties. i asked her about the empty lot there a short while ago, and mrs. A was able to give me an immediate answer as to the property's history.
it will serve the residents who started the griping right if they end up with a result which they never anticipated.
December 20, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
WhoisJohnGalt says...
The ultimate irony would be from Mr Hargrove to take possession of the land and deed it over to the local youth football or youth soccer organization. Heck, maybe the Chiefs could hold a mini camp practice there. Or they could build a bandstand and all the local "garage bands" could give concerts every Friday and Saturday night at a gazillion decibels per performance. Under private ownership, the options are as endless as imagination. ;)
December 20, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
238er says...
Well, Another, I guess you will never believe that the City can do anything right. Mr. Elo made sufficient efforts and was found by a judge to have done so. The FBI doesn't do these things as they are not CRIMES!
Yes, the heir was where he was just like the line in Austin Powers. You are where you are. If he had been living on a mountaintop in Tibet there he is. There is nothing that requires Mr. Elo or the City to talk with every living being in the City. There are companies that do these searches and have standards for how long they have to search. It took two years to find my brother in law in KCK. Looked in tax records (cars), drivers license, etc. If a person wants to keep a low profile they can.
As to the fate of the park, perhaps I will buy it and build section 8 housing.
December 20, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
franceparkneighbor says...
As a France Park neighbor, I can say that the parking issue is a legitimate concern, which is the primary reason for the original complaints. I urge Mr. Hargrove to honor the intent of his Great Uncle in creating the park as an open green space with no development.
December 20, 2008 at 10:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Margaret says...
The France is such a wonderful place to play in the area. Don't make it a place with football practices. I can remember the trees as they were put there. I trust the Hargrove, who had parents who where thoughtful and kind.
December 20, 2008 at 10:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mizzou says...
Yes..Godforbid there be kids playing in the park. The residents of this neighborhood are a bunch of old people who don't want anyone playing on "their" lawn. If trash is what your worried about, contact the office of the football program and let them know and I am pretty sure that they will pass it on to the teams. Quit being so mean and let the kids practice football. A couple hours a day, probably three days a week.
December 20, 2008 at 10:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
franceparkneighbor says...
This is not an issue of keeping kids from playing football in the park! Children and adults alike use the park regularly. France Park residents have no problems with pickup games or other activities. This situation is created from using the park for a regular, organized sporting activity. This park was not designed for this purpose and there is not adequate parking. There are often 30 to 40 cars parked around the perimeter of the park and in front of people's houses 3 to 4 days a week from mid July to October. In addition, there are traffic jams when parents drop off and pick up their children before and after practice. I live 1 block away from the park and have experienced the traffic problems. The issue is that it was not intended for or deeded to the city for organized sports use. It was given to the city for use as a neighborhood green space. Here's one example of problem for neighborhood children: a France Park neighbor used to allow her children to bike over to the park to play. But with the increased traffic, she feels it is not safe for her kids to take their bicycles there.
December 20, 2008 at 4:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dmhargrove says...
Please I would like to understand this situation can someone answer a few little questions? Mr Elo looked and couldn't find the Heir Correct? And the Judge (does he/she have a degree or is this an elected position?) said Mr Elo showed due diligence in his attempt to locate the Heir. Does the City of St Joe have access to the internet? (you can find anything about anyone A professor emeritus who attends his local reunions is not the kind of person who hides his information and how insulting to his generous family to imply he is. ) Am I correct no one knows what constituted "the heir search" not even the reporter? Is the cities response and the judges decision recorded as in most court cases or depositions? I am not a relative just a citizen who knows we need more people like Dr. Hargrove's generous family.
January 11, 2009 at 6:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )