Emmanuel Thingue laughed as he nimbly scampered up the jungle gym to have his photograph taken.
At 61, he was the oldest person on the playground equipment at Lincoln Terrace Park in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
But Mr. Thingue, a landscape architect who recently retired from the New York City Parks Department after 30 years, had a special connection to the space: He designed it.
Over his career, Mr. Thingue designed more than 30 New York City parks and won awards and accolades for his work.
Spend an afternoon with Mr. Thingue, and he will tell you how parks improved his life when he was a boy.
Persons:
Emmanuel Thingue, scampered, whooped, Thingue
Organizations:
New York City Parks Department, New
Locations:
Lincoln Terrace, Crown, Brooklyn, New York City