Actor Kirk Douglas vowed Tuesday he'd be back in 20 years--at age 102--to the $50,000 freshly sodded playing field and new jungle gym at Welby Way Elementary School.
"I'm thrilled to see this field. My group will come here and play after school," said Douglas, who seemed ready for action in black suede sneakers. He and his wife, Anne, donated $1 million to a playground fund that pays for landscaping and equipment in Los Angeles schools.
His mischievous remark sparked cheers and applause from about 850 students, parents, teachers and officials honoring the Douglases with speeches and songs.
Playground plans were a year in the making: School officials and community members worked to write the grant proposal, find contractors and scrape together $25,000 through creative budgeting to get the maximum in matching grants from the fund. A-G Sod Farms in Palmdale planted the field at 70% of the cost, a company representative said.
