WWII Veterans Memorial Grand Opening
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The public is invited to the opening of the WWII Memorial at the Arcata-Eureka airport in McKinleyville on Saturday, July 16 at 2pm.
The memorial is dedicated to all Humboldt County veterans who fought for the freedoms that we enjoy today, with special tribute paid to those who lost their lives in the struggle. Along with the permanent memorial is a computerized touchscreen kiosk to provide an ongoing wealth of information on the Second World War and the role Humboldt County played in the conflict. The inspiration to create a permanent memorial came from Steve Justus and Kathrin Burleson, cofounders of North Coast Honor Flight. Kathrin is the artist who created 170 portraits of Humboldt County WWII veterans which she donated to the museum in 2013. These incredible portraits were a perfect addition to the Clarke Museum’s collection of WWII artifacts and memorabilia as the drawings put a personal face to this important chapter of our nation’s history. The idea of honoring our WWII veterans by creating a memorial at our regional airport quickly followed and was developed and coordinated by Ben Brown, Curator of the Clarke Museum. With support from Supervisor Ryan Sundberg and Public Works Director Tom Mattson, the museum teamed up with designer Anne Stromberg and Gerry Hale to design and implement the memorial. Chuck Ellsworth assisted with signage. This community led project could not have happened without the support of many individuals and organizations, including Rotary Clubs of Mad River, Eureka and Ferndale, the North Coast Vintage Aviation Society, Anne Stromberg Interior Design, Sierra Pacific Industries, Redwood Empire MOAA, Native Sons of the Golden West, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Coast Central Credit Union, Stromberg Construction, Olive & George Cozens, Allen Masterson, Trinidad Lions Club, Advanced Kiosks, Humboldt Area Foundation Tracy Memorial, WP Stewart, Six Rivers Brewery, Miller Farms Nursery, All Point Signs, McKinleyville Glass, O&M Industries, Redwood Forest Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Hops in Humboldt. |