Who was John Barovetto?

Davis' newest neighborhood park, completed in 2007 at the corner of Alhambra Drive and Arroyo Avenue, has been officially named John Barovetto Park. The park honors the memory of Barovetto, a Davis resident who served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War and spearheaded a number of local humanitarian efforts to help support orphanages in Vietnam.

The City’s Recreation and Park Commission recommended the name John Barovetto Park in response to community members who sought a way to recognize the former Davis Senior High School student body president, who lost his life while on his second duty tour in Vietnam. The Davis City Council approved the recommendation of the Recreation and Park Commission on July 11, 2006.

A grand opening celebration and park dedication ceremony honoring John Barovetto was held on May 24, 2007. At the conclusion of the dedication ceremony, a bronze plaque honoring Barovetto was unveiled, and an American flag was raised on the flagpole donated by the Davis Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 6949.

John Barovetto Park is a seven-acre facility designed to serve the east Mace Ranch neighborhood. It includes a playground, picnic facilities, natural and landscaped areas, an off-leash dog exercise area, and multi-use open fields.
John Barovetto with Vietnamese children

John Barovetto is pictured in Vietnam surrounded by children believed to be residents of an orphanage he helped support.

John L. Barovetto's name appears on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington D.C. on panel 33E, Line 63.