Chavez Memorial Garden dedicated by National Park Service

Pat Doody.

National Park Service Director Charles (Chuck) Sams.

On Friday, Oct. 11, following a naturalization ceremony held at the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in Keene, National Park Service Director Charles (Chuck) Sams dedicated the Memorial Garden in which Cesar Chavez, his wife Helen and dogs, Huelga and Boycott are buried.

Sams said that Chavez, who passed away in 1993, had expressed a desire to be buried in that spot near the dogs when he passed away. The garden was developed around his grave and Helen was buried there following her death in 2016. The lovely gardens and fountain surrounding the gravesites are located opposite the museum at the national monument.

As part of the Cesar Chavez National Monument, the gardens are tended by members of the Cesar Chavez Environmental Corps., which is now part of FIELD (Farmworkers Institute of Education and Leadership Development). Following the dedication, members of the CCEC conducted guided tours of the grounds.

Chuck Sams, who has been head of the National Park Service since 2021, is the first indigenous director of the National Park Service. Originally from Oregon, Sams (Cayuse and Walla Walla) has over 30 years of experience in tribal land management, making him an ideal candidate for the position.