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Lee Ledbetter's father, Addis Goulder Ledbetter, worked with his father (James) and brother in farming and teaming. He served for twelve years as a school board trustee, including eight as president, and was also Superintendent of the First Presbyterian Church's Sunday school.
A.G. and his wife, Mary, along with another couple, gave the land to create the town of Cutler in 1897.
Lee and Hazel cutting their 60th Anniversary cake in 1972 Lee and Hazel visited patients at the County's Sequoia Home for the Aged and arranged birthday parties for the seniors. They served on the board of the Tulare County Tuberculosis Association and the Humane Society. They gave scholarships, and Hazel served for 15 years as secretary of the Orosi-Orange Cove Farm Bureau, of which they were members.
"In deeding the land to the county, Mr. and Mrs. Ledbetter expressed the hope that it would be developed into a 'Miniature Mooney's Grove' for the enjoyment of family type activities." -- Dinuba Sentinel, October 19, 1972
 Lee Ledbetter,
Back Row 3rd from Left
"Noting that the site was the original Ledbetter homestead upon which Mr. Ledbetter was raised as a boy before the turn of the Century, County Supervisor Fred Batkin says that every effort is being made to help the Ledbetters realize their dream which has also become the dream of the people of the community." -- Dinuba Sentinel, October 19, 1972
Ed Tellalian Presenting Plaque to Ledbetters
"Ed Tellalian . . . read letters of congratulation from Assemblyman Gordon Duffy, State Senator Howard Way, and a letter on behalf of President Nixon from the White House. Congressman Bob Mathias wrote: 'This very generous contribution by Mr. and Mrs. Ledbetter is a very special and selfless act.'" Mrs. Kandy Mimura thanked a number of individuals in the Cutler-Orosi Community for their donations to the park." -- Dinuba Sentinel, July 3, 1973
 Cutler Latin American Club
"The Cutler Latin American Club was established in 1956 in the pursuit of meeting the needs of the people in Cutler and Orosi. The Club's mission is simple: 'Get the Job Done.' The club's most noticeable projects are visible at Ledbetter Park." -- Pre-Harvest Festival (Formerly Tomato Festival) program April 26, 2003
"In cooperation with the county, CLAC has built and paid for the stage, planted trees, installed electrical towers, baseball diamond, fenced the perimeter of the park, installed horse shoe pits, installed modern playground equipment for the children; finally curb and gutters have been installed in front of the property with two entrance approaches. Scholarships for college bound students have been granted in the tens of thousands of dollars throughout the years." -- Pre-Harvest Festival program, April 26, 2003
"Children will be able to pretend they are firefighters, as they watch men and women nearby volunteer to risk their lives to protect their community, on Ledbetter Park's new fire engine playground equipment. Last week the County started installing a state of the art Little Tykes [sic] fire engine, which is nearly as big as the real thing. This is the first one installed on the West Coast. The very first model went to a park near the World Trade Center in New York City." -- Dinuba Sentinel, June 19, 2003
School District Superintendent Frank Murphy, Community Leader Paulie G. Romero, and Assembly Member Juan Arambula
[The] Lyons [sic] club, a Veterans group, churches and Cutler-Orosi Latin American Club are very involved. They use the park and invest in it. For example, these groups built the stage and the backstop for the baseball field. Each year four to six very large community events are held at Ledbetter Park, and during the summer, the soccer field is used every day." -- Tulare County Parks Advisory Committee minutes, report by Neil Pilegard, Tulare County Parks and Recreation, April 21, 2016
"[The Cutler-Orosi Latin-American] club, along with the community raised $10,000 to provide a stage for special activities. Driving the tractor is Pete Marquez, who does a super job maintaining the park. Pete says "it's just like taking care of my own back yard." The Cutler-Orosi Latin-American Club helps to sponsor the Tomato Festival every year." --1982 Cutler-Orosi Tomato Festival Program
"We are designed to be outdoor creatures. We need to be outside, not huddled around the TV set." -- Andrew Duxbury
"A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to nature is an essential component of human health and well-being. The mere sight of trees . . . lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol and decreases blood pressure." -- Katherine Ozment
Photos for this article by: John Greening, Laurie Schwaller, and courtesy of Cutler-Orosi Senior Center; Tulare County Library, Annie R. Mitchell History Room;-Cutler-Orosi Latin-American Club; Frank Murphy; Orosi Union High School; Tulare County Office of Education; Tulare County Sheriff's Office
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LEDBETTER PARK
Environment: Valley, near Cutler; 11 acres; trees and lawns Activities: baseball/soccer field, basketball court, birdwatching, dog-walking (on leash; scoop poop), picnicking (arbors by reservation), photography, playground, skatepark, stage/bandstand, veterans memorials Open: daily Thursday-Monday for day use (closed Tues. and Wed.); Summer (June 1-September 8): 8:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m.; Fall (Sept. 9 - Oct. 31): 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Mon., Thurs., and Fri.; 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Sat. and Sun.; Winter (Nov.-Feb.): 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Spring (Mar.-May): 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Mon., Thurs., and Fri.; 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. on Sat. and Sun. No entrance fee. Reservations for picnic arbors are taken throughout the year. Site Steward: Tulare County Parks and Recreation Division - 559-205-1100; same number for reservations. Contact Site Steward for current fees Opportunities for Involvement: donate, volunteer Links: https://tularecountyparks.org/park-cards/; Cutler-Orosi Senior Center, 12691 Ave. 408, Ledbetter Park, Cutler, CA 93615, 559-528-6108, open M, W, Th, F 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Directions: Map and directions are at the bottom of this page. History:
Ledbetter Park -- Historic Hub of Cutler-Orosi by Laurie Schwaller In 1971, over 30 years had passed since Tulare County had last established a park for its residents (in Pixley, in 1938). But in 1971, thanks to Lee and Hazel Ledbetter of Orosi, and many dedicated local volunteers, that was about to change. The Ledbetter family forebears had arrived in Tulare County in 1876 by emigrant train, and soon established a tradition of farming, civic engagement, service, and generosity. In 1879, Lee's grandfather James purchased the land which became the site of Orosi. Later, he traded that parcel for another half a mile south of the townsite, where he spent the rest of his life. Education and young people were important to James. In 1880, he was instrumental in organizing on his property the first school for the local pioneer children in what was then known as Sand Creek. His own wife was unable to read or write, but since then four Ledbetter women have taught successively in the Cutler-Orosi community -- for almost 150 years. One of them was Hazel Church, who married Lee Ledbetter in 1912, when she was teaching school in Orosi.    In the family tradition, Lee Ledbetter farmed and lived in the Cutler-Orosi area all his life. He was also a county tax assessor. While Lee and Hazel had no children of their own, Hazel taught and often served as principal in the local schools for 41 years. Both were philanthropists, who gave generously to their community in many ways. But perhaps their greatest and most lasting gift was the land for Ledbetter Park.
In 1970, the couple began talking with then County Supervisor Fred Batkin about their desire to donate 12 acres of their property to the county for the creation of a neighborhood park to serve both Cutler and Orosi. That September, the Board of Supervisors authorized Batkin to work with County Park Superintendent Merle Harp, Chief Administrative Officer Dave Ogden, and Planning Director Don Woolfe to develop the park, which would be located at the southwest corner of Avenue 408 and Highway 63.    In April, 1971, the Board of Supervisors gratefully accepted the deed to the parkland from the Ledbetters, calling their gift "another milestone in a long path of community service that the Ledbetters have given to the Cutler-Orosi community" and "an act of generosity which will benefit the Cutler-Orosi community for many years to come." Supervisor Batkin announced that the park would be seeded with grass immediately and interested people would be asked to help devise a master plan for it.
The Ledbetters, along with the Cutler Latin American Club (CLAC) and a Cutler-Orosi park committee chaired by Batkin and Orosi Union High School principal Jack Mann, worked with Superintendent Harp to plan the site. Concurrently, the County decided to build a new fire station there: A firehouse would keep responsible people on the premises 24 hours a day, and the money saved by not having to buy land for the station could be used for landscaping the park. By early 1973, bids had been let, and construction of the fire station and a park restroom was about to begin. A sprinkling system had been installed, and some Monterey pines had been planted. The committee appealed to Cutler-Orosi area clubs and organizations for donations to cover more trees, shrubs, and other park construction items.    While elements in the park have changed through the years, the original grand design included parking for over 100 cars; a baseball field; a multi-use sports area for tennis, volleyball, and basketball; plus a quieter area for horseshoes and croquet to meet a broad range of recreational interests. Two picnic arbors and 25 picnic tables would be installed, and a bandstand had been designed, in hopes that it could be completed before the annual spring Tomato Festival organized by the Cutler Latin-American Club.
On July 3, 1973, following a steak barbecue sponsored by the Latin American Club, the new park was officially dedicated to the public. The ceremony was held in the new fire station, which already provided welcome shade and was scheduled to open in August. Master of ceremonies Ed Tellalian, Orosi High School civics teacher, read letters of congratulation from local, state, and national politicians, including one on behalf of President Nixon from the White House. Although the tennis and croquet courts never got built, the bandstand/stage was ready for the 1974 Tomato Festival's festivities, and much has been added to Ledbetter Park in the decades since its dedication. From its conception, the Cutler Latin American Club has contributed countless hours of labor, constructed many improvements (including the bandstand), carried out maintenance work, and held dozens of community events there.    The County's Cutler-Orosi Senior Center, in 1984, and a County Sheriff's substation, in 2007, have joined the fire station in offering essential services to their communities. In June, 2003, the Little Tikes fire engine playground equipment was installed. Volunteer firefighters from the real fire station helped County parks employees put the fire engine structure together to inspire kids' imaginations for play and to serve as a memorial to the firefighting heroes of the 9/11 attacks on New York City in 2001.
   In 2008, the Cutler-Orosi Community for Youth Organization, working with County Parks, the Cutler-Orosi School District, the Stewardship Council, and the Tony Hawk Foundation, raised the funds to build a skate park next to the Sheriff's substation at Ledbetter Park. Spearheaded by former school district superintendent Frank Murphy, the campaign, helped by the County, which contributed matching funds, covered the total project cost of $100,000.
   Through the years, Ledbetter Park has served as its communities' hub. It was the destination of the annual parade of the Tomato Festival (eventually re-named the Pre-Harvest Festival and then the Spring Festival). It was the venue for its booths and carnival, its bandstand the stage for announcements, music, and other entertainment. The park has hosted major concerts, firefighters' training exercises, Summer Night Lights events, health fairs, thousands of basketball and baseball and soccer games, picnics and barbecues, celebrations of all kinds, and endless hours of safe and healthy play.
Long-needed upgrades to the parks' accessibility features and its electrical and irrigation systems were completed in 2018, helping to prepare this vital green and open space for its next 50 years of service to the enjoyment and well-being of the people of these north county communities. December, 2018
Directions:
Address: 45779 Road 128, Cutler/Orosi, CA; located 1 mile NW of Cutler on Road 124/Hwy 63. From Visalia, take Hwy 63 north to 1 mile NW of Cutler; park w/b on your left (west). 
"The outdoors is the very best place for preschoolers to practice and master emerging physical skills" -- Early Childhood News
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