Veterans Memorial of Orange Park, Florida
November 11, 2012
The Dedication of our Veterans Memorial in Magnolia Cemetery was a wonderful event for our community. The day was beautiful and our audience numbered over 400. All came to honor our Veterans and their families.
Chaplain Robert Lucas from American Legion Post #250 opened the program with a prayer.
We were honored to have as our Guest Speaker Rear Admiral Jimmie Seeley (RET) and representatives from each of the six branches of service: Captain Ernest B. Jones, Army, Yeoman Leslie Bailey, Navy, Colonel Robert Wetzel, Air Force, Gayward Hendry, Marines (RET), Petty Officer Mark Trice, Coast Guard and our special guest Mr. Frank Steffan, 84 years old, a Merchant Marine who served during WWII.
Our thanks to all the community groups who offered their assistance with this special day of celebration:
• The Arranger’s Guild of the Garden Club of Orange Park
• The Orange Park High School NJROTC Color Guard
• The Jazz Band from Orange High School
• The Fleming Island Film Crew
• Boy Scout Troop #20
• American Heritage Girls, Troop #1212
• First Baptist Church of Orange Park
• Orange Park Woman’s Club
• The Sophia Fleming Chapter, DAR
• The Orange Park Police Department
• The Clay County Historical Society
• Waste Not Want Not
• The Lions Club of Orange Park
• Kathy Odom
• And so many others!!!
Special thanks to Wanda Dillaberry for her lovely and personal musical performance and to her husband Johnny for handling the sound system.
The day started with the inspiring presence of the Patriot Guard Flag Line. It was an honor to have them “on guard” for our dedication. We were also joined by American Legion Riders who came from all over the State of Florida to participate in our ceremony and the Rolling Thunder, Chapter 4, Jacksonville.
Our beautiful day was enhanced by seven pilots from Haller Air Park in Green Cove Springs who did a flyover and performed the “missing man” formation at the perfect moment in our program. We thank Ken Copp, Dennis Gillispie, Pat Lee, David Dollarhide, Bob Wooley, David Vanderbilt, Chris Smith and radio man Bill Wedland.
Our ceremony closed with the reading of a prayer from Chaplain Pat Lucas (who was unable to join us due to illness), by her husband Chaplain Robert Lucas. The playing of Taps was performed by American Legion Post #250 Rider Cindy Anderson.
My personal thanks to the American Legion Post #250 Riders for their two years of fundraising and support, you are the greatest!! And sincere thanks to the Town Council of Orange Park for working to make this a reality, to the Sophia Fleming Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution for recognizing the importance of this project and supporting us with a grant…and of course to my fellow members of the Historical Society of Orange Park for believing in the project.
Carolyn Ann Day, VP Historical Society of Orange Park, Inc.
Contributors
Adamec Harley Davidson, Wells Road
American Legion Riders Club, Post #250
Art Guild of Orange Park, Inc.
Boy Scout Troop #20
Clay County Cruzers - Guardian Level Donor
Clay County Chapter of Thrivent Financial, Guardian Level Donor
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Sophia Fleming Chapter - Founder Level Donor
Debbie Wilkinson - Guardian Level Donor
Disabled Veterans of America, Chapter 38, Guardian Level Donor
Eagle Scout Candidate Sam Dulinsky, Boy Scout Troop #20
Everest University-Electrical Services Donation
First Baptist Church of Orange Park
Florida Military Museum
Food Lion
Garden Club of Orange Park
JB Renninger, Guardian Level Donor
Jacksonville Memory Gardens
Janet and Pat Day - Protector Level Donor
Janice and Gordon McGilton, Guardian Level Donor
Mark Study
Moosehaven
Orange Park Elk's Club
Orange Park High School NJROTC Color Guard
Park Avenue Florist
Publix Supermarkets
Randy Harris (www.claycountysounder.com)
Rolling Thunder, Chapter 4
Sarah Bedsole
Sons of the American Legion Post #250
Sophia Fleming Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Sun Tire, President Richard Erickson, Guardian Level Donor
Texas Roadhouse, Guardian Level Donor
Town of Orange Park - Founder Level Donor
Tripp Means Engineering
VyStar Credit Union, Protector Level Donor
Wal-Mart
Waste Not, Want Not
Woman's Club of Orange Park
Purchase a Memorial Brick Paver
You still have an opportunity to honor the Veteran(s) in your life through this important community project by purchasing an inscribed memorial brick paver that will be installed around the memorial.
Pavers (4"x8") $50
Download the Memorial Brick Paver form and mail it with your payment to the Historical Society of Orange Park, P.O. Box 08, Orange Park, FL 32067. Please make your check payable to Historical Society of Orange Park. All proceeds will go toward the new Veterans Memorial.
Download a donation form and mail your contribution to the Historical Society of Orange Park, P.O. Box 08, Orange Park, FL 32067. The Historical Society of Orange Park is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation.
For more details contact Carolyn Ann Day 215-9177 or info@ophistory.org. All proceeds will go toward the new Veterans Memorial.