MORE PARK HISTORY

MORE HISTORY:

The Carroll County Veterans Memorial Park Committee has been busy for several years and it is showing.  “IT IS A VISIBLE SYMBOL OF OUR APPRECIATION”

The Park is designed as a tribute to the many sons and daughters who have served and/or died for this great nation.

MISSION STATEMENT: The Carroll County Veterans Memorial Park Committee’s mission is to plan, build, equip and maintain a park to honor military veterans of the United States of America who are currently living in Carroll County, who have lived in Carroll County at some time, or who have Carroll County connections and who honorably served their country.

We, all volunteers, want to promote patriotism and to provide recognition to veterans of all U. S. A. Military Forces, past, present, and future. 

Our goal is to raise funds and accept donations to support the establishment and maintenance of a Veterans Memorial Park as a non-profit organization. 

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Our main priority is to provide the Veterans of Carroll County an appropriate memorial.  We want to have a prestigious place to assemble for Memorial and Veteran’s Day Programs, as well as a place for individuals and families to have a quiet place to remember their loved ones.

Our goal is to make this the prettiest and most impressive place in Carroll County because that is what our Veterans and Troops deserve.  Eventually we want to have funds available to care for the park and continue to add names as long as there are wars in which Americans serve their country.

HISTORY: The first meeting was in November 1999.  Carroll County Commission Chairman Jack Bell worked with the committee to select an appropriate site for the park.  A lot of planning, organizing, and contacting people filled that first year, which culminated in a groundbreaking ceremony on November 11, 2000 at the park.  In April 2001 grading work began to prepare for the park development.  The flagpole was installed in July 2001 and a walkway from the parking lot to the flagpole was constructed.  Footings for the first 16 walls were poured October 2001. Ray Roddenberry, a U.S. Navy Veteran, served as Architect/Designer and Project Manager for the Park as long as his health permitted.  The Park was dedicated on November 10, 2001, with Georgia State Senator Max Cleland as the keynote speaker.  The decision was made to make the Veterans’ plaques out of Georgia Cherokee White Marble, from Tate, Georgia. These plaques measure 16 inches high by 16 inches wide.  Currently these are purchased from Tennessee Marble Co., Friendship, Tennessee (Near Knoxville). These walls are trimmed with polished black granite to match the other walls and the sign in front of the park near the road.

The following paragraph was copied from a booklet listing the veterans names on the first three Walls of Honor with their service description, “The Site and Design Committee, chaired by Mr. Roddenberry, is made up of Association officers and representatives of each of the mainstream veteran’s organizations.  They are Ray Roddenberry, Nellie Duke, Henry Duke, Ferrice Blackwood, Hugh Lee Young, G. C. Burson, M. T. Fuller, Jr., Peggy Kilpatrick, Frank Jones, Bill Maddox, and Tommy Johnson.  The Credentials Committee is chaired by Norris Garrett, and includes members of the Executive Committee.”

Note from Norris Garrett: “Dan Currin was Sammy Robinson’s partner from the start until his death.  When the election was held in February 2003, Garrett was nominated from the floor and was elected Chairman.  He was appointed Vice Chair by Nellie Duke and elected Vice Chair on February 26, 2001.  The first Chairman was Nellie Duke; Vice Chair, Donald Allen; Secretary, Henry Duke; Treasurer, Sallie Burson; First Chaplain, Peggy Kilpatrick.  Walls designs were still on-going in 2001. In a letter dated January 25, 2002 Ray Rodenberry agreed on the first two walls and a contract was signed February 28, 2002 with Eternal Mfg. Co. (Sammy and Dan). Nellie Duke was presented a plaque at the first meeting conducted by Norris Garrett as Chair – April 21, 2003.  On March 24, 2oo3 Eddie Gains started as Treasurer.  In July 2003 sidewalks were done by Mike Norton.”

Norris Garrett has served as Credential Chairman from the beginning and he is still filling this position.  To date we have completed 21 Walls of Honor containing 1,008 individual plaques showing name, rank, and service record.  We are currently working on Wall number 22.  He is the one to contact to purchase a plaque.  He can be contacted at 770-836-1111, 770-834-7085, or cell 770-653-5007. You may look on the web site to see if a certain veteran’s name is already on the Walls of Honor at http://carrollcountyveteransmemorialpark.com (designed and maintained by Violette Denney with the help of her friend in August 2008) and click on “Wall of Honor Directories” shown on the left side of the screen and then click on the first letter of the last name.  For the latest Park news and pictures visit the blog (designed on May 18, 2007 and maintained by Violette Denney) at http://carrollcountyveteransmemorialpark.blogspot.com

In 2002 the first two walls were under construction.  Garrett said, “The minutes show in August 2002, still working on the templates for the first two walls.  And, again on October 28, 2002, the minutes state frustration of members because nothing has been done to finish the park in the last year, since the park dedication.” The wall was completed late in the year 2002.  The plaque for Floyd E. Hoskins is in the first space on the first Wall of Honor.  Hoskins was a Captain in the US Navy.  He entered service in 1938, served through WW II and the Korean Conflict. A Language Specialist, he served in Intelligence and retired in November 1958 with 20 years of service.  He received many awards and these are recorded on his plaque.  Walls 3 and 4 were completed by February 2003.  Walls 5 and 6 were installed in June 2004, Walls 7 and 8 were installed in November 2004, Walls 9 and 10 were completed in February 2005, Walls 11 and 12 were installed in January 2006, Walls 13 and 14 were completed in May 2007, Walls 15 and 16 were installed in March 2008, Walls 17 and 18 were installed in December 2009, and Wall 19 was completed in August 2010.  Wall of Honor 20 was completed in December 2011 and Wall of Honor 21 was installed in September 2012.  The Walls have 48 plaques on each side with a total of 96 on one two-sided wall.  While the Walls of Honor are our priority, we have added many other walls and features to recognize and honor others.  There are a total of 24 Walls of Honor in the current park which means only two will be left to fill when Wall of Honor 22 is completed – we are taking reservations for Wall of Honor 23 at this time.  After that, we will need to add more walls.

The KIA (Killed-in-Action) Walls of Honor were created between October 8, 2004 and January 26, 2005.  The KIA Walls are up to date and contain all the Carroll County Veterans of all the US Wars beginning with the American Revolution that we were able to verify.  These walls contain names from the following: 194 War Between the States, 19 WW I, 92 WW II, 10 Korea, 14 Vietnam and 5 Iraq which total 334 in all.  “A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States’ for an amount up to and including his life.”

The Contributor Wall of Honor has been constructed using polished black granite and is being updated as new contributors qualify.  It contains the names of those who gave $500 or more toward building the park.  Without these patriotic citizens, we would not have a park.  This wall was added in 2007.

Bricks line the walkways and each one has a name of on individual, who purchased the brick for $50 to show their support of the Veterans and the Memorial Park.  Currently we have 796 engraved.  Some of these have a veteran’s name but anyone can have their name on a brick.  Contact a member of the Veterans Park Committee for a blank request form. Children really get excited to have their name on a brick.  These make wonderful gifts including memorial or honorary gifts.

Landscaping in the park has added to its beauty and for that we have to thank many contributors.  It was a tremendous job which could only be done after the large, heavy walls were put in place.  Sandra Veirling, landscape architect, volunteered her time and expertise to create a plan which could be executed in phases, as we could raise the funds.

We have raised and spent well over one half million and when you add the volunteer hours and materials you can definitely say we have a MILLION DOLLAR PARK!

The Memorial Park reminds us of the importance of honoring the brave men and women of the US Military Forces – past, present, and future. We want them to know that we are grateful for the enormous sacrifices they made for the freedoms we enjoy every day.  I hope it will continue to inspire everyone to support our troops and veterans.

We are a Non-Profit Organization approved by the IRS under the Code Section 501© (3).  All contributions are tax deductible.

Violette Denney said, “I believe that heroes are the people who do what has to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.  Veterans are our heroes!  Please consider the ones who served and now live with injuries for the rest of their lives.  Remember the park is built to be accessible by everyone and is open 24/7.  I have been actively involved in the Park since early 2003. Therefore, I may have omitted information that should have been included or may have some dates inaccurately recorded but I tried to include everything to the best of my ability. Some records were not available or incomplete.  I served as membership chairman during 2003, 2004, and 2005 and prepared a Directory for easy reference.  In 2006, I was elected Treasurer and assisted with many other tasks.”