GARLAND, Texas — Pro skater Tony Hawk has joined a North Texas community in calling on the Garland City Council to honor a hometown favorite at the city's newest skate park.
In a video posted on social media, Hawk made his pitch for the city to memorialize Garland native Jon Comer at the Boneyard skate park, which opened in October 2022.
Comer was the first pro skateboarder with a prosthetic leg and was dubbed by X Games officials as the godfather of adaptive skateboarding. Comer died in December 2019.
"He was truly an inspiration to skaters. He was a pioneer in skating… was a huge inspiration to adaptive athletes, especially in skating and action sports," Hawk said in his video.
Comer was just a child when he had to have his foot amputated following a car accident. He was the subject of the 2004 award-winning documentary, "Never Been Done."
In 2019, Daniel Gale of the X Games said Comer was the reason adaptive sports became a part of the extreme sporting event.
Since the City of Garland opened up the Boneyard, there's been a call by the skateboarding community to honor Comer at the skate park.
"I believe it would be in your best interests to memorialize his name in association with the skate park in his hometown," Hawk said, speaking to the Garland City Council. "It would solidify his legacy and it would be an inspiration for other skaters in years to come."
"To honor him in his hometown of Garland, Texas, would be huge. I encourage you to do so. And I promise you will not regret it. His friends and family will thank you for it. Please keep his legacy alive," he added.
