Q: Tony Hawk was here recently to open the new Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park and his foundation donated $25,000 to the cause. Does Tony have ties to Georgia?
—Debbie Lary, Lithonia
A: The skateboarding legend has visited Georgia several times, including in the late 1980s, when he competed in a major skateboard competition in Savannah, Miki Vuckovich, executive director of the Tony Hawk Foundation, told Q&A on the News. But he said Hawk, who grew up in California, has no other ties to Georgia. The foundation awarded the Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park its top grant in 2010, and Hawk wanted to attend the opening of the public/private project on the Beltline because it could become an Atlanta landmark, Vuckovich said. "It is such a great local effort with skaters being involved and working with the city," he said. It is the 400th park that has received funding from the Tony Hawk Foundation to open. Hawk said in a press release: "We are proud and honored to support the Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park project in Atlanta. It represents everything we stand for at THF — community involvement that benefits at-risk youth in an area that traditionally has had very little support for sports like skateboarding. We are excited to be attached to a project that will be such a vital and vibrant part of the Fourth Ward community."
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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