Carver Park, transportation center will be named for influential Albanians

ALBANY — Carver Park will get a new name, and the city’s new transportation center will be named for a civil rights hero as the Albany City Commission voted Tuesday to honor two late Albany residents.

Carver park will be renamed in honor of Charles “Coach” Driskell, who coached youth teams and influenced the lives of many Albany residents. On Feb. 25, a delegation led by Kelvin Crawford addressed the commission on behalf of Driskell’s family on the request to honor his legacy in the community.

Commissioner B.J. Fletcher and City Manager Sharon Subadan heard public comments on the proposed renaming during an Aug. 12 public hearing. A recommendation for the renaming came out of the meeting.

The Carver Pool & Spray Park is located at 1021 S. McKinley St.

Commissioners also approved honoring Ola Mae Quartimon-Clemons by placing her name on the new transportation center, located at the site of the former Trailways bus station on West Oglethorpe Boulevard. The building was demolished earlier this year to make way for construction of the new facility.

In 1962, Quartimon-Clemons was arrested after she refused to move to the back of a city bus after paying her fare, predating by three years the more famous incident in Montgomery, Ala., involving Rosa Parks.

Frank Wilson, director of the Albany Civil Rights Institute, made the request to name the transportation center for Quartimon-Clemons, and a public hearing was held on Aug. 12.

Another idea that has been suggested by designers is a plaque honoring students who in 1961 staged sit-ins at the building.

The planned completion date for the facility is January 2022.

File Photo: Alan Mauldin