Local Veterans Memorial closer to reality

By Carol Cole-Frowe

Veterans will soon get their due.

The funding is almost in place and preparations are being made for the construction of the Cleveland County Veterans Memorial.

Norman Parks Director Jud Foster said when the new fiscal year rolls around July 1, it will bring key funding necessary for the monument that’s slated for the southwest corner of Reaves Park, near the KidSpace area at Jenkins Avenue and Constitution Street.

“We should be starting shortly after that,” Foster said. “We’re anticipating that we’ll be able to dedicate it on Veterans Day.”

Close to $300,000 has been raised, including the $100,000 contributed by the City of Norman, which should be enough to build the memorial.

The City pledged $50,000 last year, if matching funds were found. They were. Another $50,000 will be available from the City on July 1, and private matching funds already have been secured.

Even Norman native and Hollywood actor James Garner has gotten in on the project, supporting it with his own funds. Garner was the first draftee from Oklahoma into the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. He was wounded twice and awarded two Purple Hearts.

American Legion state membership chairman and Norman resident Don Schulenberg has worked for years for the memorial to become reality.

Foster said there are several elements of the memorial that are already in the works.

He said the Shan Gray-created bronze statue of an eagle carrying a flag was privately paid for and is in now in the clay stage, with Gray doing the final details. The eagle bronze will sit atop a black granite obelisk.

“From the ground to the top of the eagle is about 17 feet,” Foster said.

The memorial will be a circular plaza about 50 feet in diameter, with a landscaped walkway leading up to the area.

“It will be lit and it will be very visible from Jenkins,” Foster said.

One of the reasons the site was chosen was its proximity to family activities.

“That’s one of the reasons they chose that site — was parents and children right across from it. And the Fourth of July where there are families together at Reaves Park,” Foster said. “KidSpace gets a lot of use from schools and it can be used as an educational part of their visit.”

The community park is also popular with walkers and features support facilities including parking and restrooms. There is room for school buses to park.

“All these things make it a good place for the memorial,” Foster said. “It really is a real destination place.”

The concept for the Cleveland County Veterans Memorial was created by Norman engineer Bob Goins and Marine veteran Clarence Powell and designed by the architectural team of Rick McKinney, Nathan Coffey, Toni Bragg and Bryan Rainbow of the McKinney Architects Partnership.

Veterans who were killed in action or missing in action starting with World War I will be listed on the center pylon in the center of a five-pointed star about 30 feet across.

Names will be included for as far back as records go.

The names of other veterans in wars will be on smaller monoliths that form a wall around the plaza. Forty-six smaller stars will represent Oklahoma as the 46th state of the United States.

“Anyone knowing the name of a veteran who is interested in getting them listed can look on the City’s Web page,” Foster said.

Veterans should have lived or served in Cleveland County.

Applications to list honorably discharged veterans or those who were killed or went missing in the performance of their duty for inclusion on the memorial may be downloaded at the City of Norman’s Web site at www.NormanOK.gov/parks/veterans_memorial.htm or are available in the Parks and Recreation Department at the City of Norman, Building C, 201 W. Gray St.

Donations still are being sought to help with maintenance and landscaping the memorial, Foster said.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to Cleveland County Veterans Memorial, P.O. Box 249, Norman OK 73070, in the form of checks, money orders or cashiers checks. Checks may be made payable to the Norman Parks Foundation, Inc. a 501 (c)3 not-for-profit organization, noting CCVM in the memo section.

For more information, call the Norman Parks Department at 366-5472.

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