John Stillion lived for beauty. Let us count the ways:

• After graduating from one of the world’s most picturesque campuses—UCLA—in 1954, he taught at an inner city school whose schoolyard he helped transform by planting trees.

• For eight years he taught in Moorpark, where he played a leading role in turning this largely rural and once-downtrodden community into one of the most beautiful places in Ventura County. (He was one of the driving forces behind the Moorpark Arts Festival and the formation of the “Moorpark Beautiful” organization.)

• As the director of arts and humanities for the L.A. County’s school district for 23 years, he developed a nonprofit foundation, Arts for Communities, that brought the arts to schools.

It’s fair to say that wherever Stillion went, he found something to beautify. Some of his most remarkable achievements were in Eagle Rock, where he settled after retirement and lived for about 13 years. Again, let us count the ways:

• As the co-founder of Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful, a community group dedicated to the long-term preservation and beautification of Eagle Rock, he helped plant trees and vegetation along Eagle Rock Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard.

• He led efforts to enhance the landscaping at the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness and the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock.

• He helped improve Alatorre Park.

Click here to watch a video about some of the work that Stillion spearheaded in Eagle Rock.

Stillion served on a string of local boards, including the Center for the Arts, TERA (The Eagle Rock Association), Colorado Boulevard Design Review Board, Eagle Rock Community Preservation and Revitalization Corp., Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Pasadena Elks Lodge, and the Eagle Rock Centennial Steering Committee.

But perhaps the achievement Stillion was most proud of was CERB's purchase and development of the Eagle Rock Canyon Trail, a four-and-a-half-acre open space adjacent to the gigantic rock near the 134 freeway after which Eagle Rock is named. This scenic area, which includes a roughly mile-long walking path for the public, is the last wilderness trail between Eagle Rock and Pasadena. (CERB, which still has to pay off some $75,000 for the purchase of the trail, is actively fundraising. See the attached flyer for a fundraiser scheduled on Friday, May 6.)

A life-long leader and community volunteer who had a knack for inspiring others and getting things done, Stillion died April 19 after a long illness at the age of 79. Four of his colleagues and closest friends remember him in this video.