What happened?
On July 12, the Centreville Civic Association dedicated the gazebo in Canby Grove Park to Rosa Laird Hayward McDonald, who had provided the funds for the gazebo and sound system three years ago. McDonald died last year.
Who was Rosa McDonald?
Rosa Laird Hayward McDonald, born in August, 1916, was a well-known philanthropist who lived at Smiths Bridge on the Brandywine.
Among some in Centreville, she is best remembered for flying a small airplane over the wedding of Franklin Roosevelt Jr. (the son of then-president Roosevelt) to Ethel du Pont at what is now the Greenville Country Club, according to her daughter-in-law, Tina Howard. The main reason she buzzed the wedding is because she hadn’t been invited to the party, according to Howard.
And she was the only person anyone knew whose dog had a checking account, said Centreville veterinarian Don Coats. The dog, Cato, kept an account at Delaware Trust Bank, which he used to pay his own veterinarian bills, Coats said.
What they said?
“Thank you Rosa Laird Hayward McDonald for this gift, a wonderful reminder of community possibilities, and a lovely catalyst for bringing people together,” said Coats.
What else is happening in Canby Grove Park?
The last of Centreville’s free Concerts in the Park will be held on Monday, Aug. 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and features the Sin City Band.
