Regan Beach rededicated with stone memorial

They were builders, doctors, lawyers and teachers
Our Dad, he ran the B of A
They were leaders, doers, big picture seers

Mt. Tallac stood vigil
Tahoe lies blue and clear
In meadows the streams ran swift and clean
The way they had for millions of years
They knew they had to protect it
They fought for it those women and men
I'm proud our Dad Tom Regan he was one of them

But there were clear-cutters, dealers, dice-rollers
Passing through try'na turn a quick buck
There were two states five counties and a dozen towns
Try to get them on the same page, good luck
They had more than luck

Mt. Tallac stood vigil
Tahoe lies blue and clear
In meadows the streams ran swift and clean
The way they had for millions of years
They knew they had to protect it
They fought for it those women and men
I'm proud our Dad Tom Regan he was one of the them

He worked nights he worked weekends
There were times we didn't see much of him
But now I look around and I can see a part of him

Mt. Tallac stood vigil
Tahoe lies blue and clear
In meadows the streams ran swift and clean
The way they had for millions of years
This song is for all for those who stood up
To fight the fight again and again
I'm proud our Dad Tom Regan he was one of the them

Bob Regan, one of Tom's children, wrote this song in memory of his dad and performed it during Sunday's rededication ceremony of the Thomas F. Regan Memorial Beach in South Lake Tahoe.

Back on April 18, 1967, the South Lake Tahoe City Council passed a resolution stating: “Whereas, Thomas F. Regan gave of himself to this community when he served as President of the Lake Tahoe Area Council, President of the Board of Trustees of Barton Memorial Hospital, President of the Lake Tahoe Country Club, Member of the El Dorado County Grand Jury, Member of the El Dorado County Planning Commission, Member of the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, the El Dorado County Representative to the Lake Tahoe Bi-State Study Committee and a member of the South Tahoe Rooster Club. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the adoption of this Resolution by the City Council of the City of South Lake Tahoe, California, that the area formerly known as “LAKESHORE PARK BEACH” shall forever hereafter be known as “THOMAS F. REGAN MEMORIAL BEACH.”

Now, 50 years later, a new stone memorial has been unveiled. Four Regan generations, along with dozens of members of the public, gathered for the ceremony at noon on October 1. It coincided with South Tahoe High's Homecoming weekend so many of the Regan offspring and their friends came to honor a man who was one of the forefathers of protecting Lake Tahoe.

Thomas F. Regan (1909-1965) died when the eldest of his four children was 20 years old, the youngest six. But during the 58 years he was on earth, Regan did many things to bring a community to honor his legacy with a beach.

He served as President of the Lake Tahoe Area Council, President of the Board of Trustees of Barton Memorial Hospital, President of the Lake Tahoe Country Club, Member of the El Dorado Grand Jury, Member of the El Dorado Planning Commission, Member of the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, President of the South Tahoe Rotary Club, President of the South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, and the El Dorado County Representative to the Lake Tahoe Bi-State Study Committee.

"He put himself out there in controversial situations," SLT Mayor Austin Sass said of Tom Regan's efforts to protect Lake Tahoe prior to the formation of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

Tom Regan's son Bob, who was 18 when his father died, wrote a song in his dad's memory and sang it to those who gathered at Sunday's dedication. In 2013, he helped create the nonprofit organization, Operation Song, which helps veterans share their stories through song in a therapeutic setting (He also wrote the Keith Urban hit "Your Everything").

"You serve your father's memory well," SLT Councilmember Brooke Laine told Bob.

After the dedication, four generations of family members fathered for a photo at the beach named after their father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather.

A design has been created to redesign Regan Beach after community meetings and surveys. As of this time, it remains just a design as it comes with a $10M price tag.