VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK in McKINNEY
6053 Weiskopf Ave.
This is the artist's
drawing of the projected memorial and the surrounding buildings |
On 5 August, 2008, the McKinney City Council selected
seven residents to be members of the McKinney Armed Services Memorial Board: David Allevato Natalie Delaroche Jim Nichols Linda Kay Clifton Ralph French Curtis Rath Ronnie D Foster |
McKinney VFW Post Commander, Jim Alton Nichols,
presents a check for $2000 to City Councilman Bill Vitz as a
donation to the |
$50,000 has
been donated to the Veterans Memorial in McKinney by O&S Holdings LLC of Santa Monica, California. O&S is the real estate developers responsible for the Bridge Street Town Centre located at the intersection of Hwys 121 and 75. The site will include the McKinney Convention Center, Collin County Higher Education Center, Westin Hotel and more. |
Thanks to the employees of
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MicKinney ISD Student Councils raised $1400 for the Memorial (click on picture for large view) |
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INITIAL GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY Veterans Day 11 November, 2007 To view the program Go Here |
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VETERANS DAY CEREMONY 13 NOVEMBER 2010 (photos courtesy of Clif Pratt USAF)
City of McKinney
Choral Prelude
- McKinney North High School Choir |
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McKinney North High School Choir |
McKinney Fire Department |
McKinney Armed Services Memorial Board Chairman |
Mayor of McKinney |
McKinney Police Department |
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Congressman Sam Johnson |
Brig. Gen. Harvey McCarter |
RD Foster with stories of names from the Wall |
AT-6 Flyover by AT-6 Squadron - Vintage WWII fighters |
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Congressman Ralph Hall |
Congressman Sam Johnson |
Chris Board (on left) Gold-Star Father of Cody Board |
Gen. McCarter and |
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From Channel 8 News Veterans Honored in McKinney at Site of Future Memorial |
Artist's Concept of Proposed
Memorial Site |
Below is the update of the memorial design.
The site is just under one-fourth of an acre. The actual memorial is on the west (left) end of the site where there will be featured an American flag that will be lighted and will fly 24-hours a day, as well as a fountain. The names of the Collin County fallen will be listed on the walls in that area. A ribbon-like walkway will extend from one end to the other. On the east (right) end, a Shumard Red Oak tree will be planted and dedicated to each branch of the Armed Forces. |
David Shipp design |
For a close-up view click on pictures below.
This is how the memorial site looked on 3 March, 2007:
VETERANS
MEMORIAL in McKINNEY GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY
11 November, 2007
(photos by Trina Foster)
Veterans Memorial Park in McKinney In the summer of 2003, I was at the American Legion Hall in McKinney, playing a show there with my band. During one of the breaks I was talking to a couple of guys I knew that I hadn’t seen since high school, and one of them ask me, "Whatever happened to Bill Bryan?" I was stunned! Bill Bryan had been killed in 1968 in Vietnam. Bill and I had gone into the Marine Corps together in June of 1966, two weeks after graduation from McKinney High School. I was one of the lucky ones to have gone to Vietnam and came back in one piece. Bill, however, did not. The fact that Bill had sacrificed his life for our freedom, and the possibility that he had been forgotten really bothered me. I decided right then and there to do something about that. I had always wanted to be a writer, and had just finished my first book, a novel about Vietnam. Knowing there was an infinite amount of information to be gathered on the Internet, and I, being a novice at working with computers, recruited an old friend of mine, Linda Phillips to help. In the following weeks and months we found twenty men from Collin County, thirteen of whom had lived in McKinney, who had died in Vietnam. While in the process of doing that research, we extended our interest, and as of April 2006, have identified the names of over 300 Collin County men who died in war, from WWI to the war in Iraq. In the early 1970’s, Collin County began the transformation from basically a rural farming economy to the cosmopolitan area it is rapidly becoming. I would dare say that ninety percent of the people who live here now have never heard of any of those heroes, other than Audie Murphy. Linda, and I decided we would push for a memorial to be built to honor them. She recruited a friend of hers, Veda Babb, and we wrote letters, sent e-mails, and made phone calls to members of the county government, and basically hit a brick wall. There was no interest whatsoever. It was very depressing. We then redirected our focus to the City of McKinney. Some of our emails were answered, though the enthusiasm that Linda, Veda, and I shared was obviously not there. Everything changed when Linda made a phone call to newly elected City
Councilman Bill Vitz. Bill was all for it. The wheels began to turn,
however slow, they were still turning. The first official meeting was held
February 20, 2005. Along with Councilman Vitz, John Kessel-Executive
Director Community Development Services, Rod Tweet-Recreation
Superintendent, and Ron Dumpke from the Parks Department were there
representing the city. Linda, Veda, Trina Foster, and I were there to
present our ideas. The idea was subsequently presented to, and approved by
the Parks Board, which paved the way for a committee to be formed and to
actually lay out the plan. On Tuesday April 18, 2006, the McKinney City
Council approved funding for a McKinney Veterans Memorial. The dream has
become reality. This page will be updated as we move further in making the McKinney Veterans Memorial a reality. |
CITY OF McKINNEY, Texas RESOLUTION NO. 2006-________ A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF McKINNEY, TEXAS, AUTHORIZING THE MEMORIAL TO VETERANS OF THE CITY OF McKINNEY TO BE LOCATED IN THE CRAIG RANCH TOWNE CENTER. WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of McKinney, Texas has determined the need for a memorial to the veterans of the City of McKinney; and, WHEREAS, the City Council approved the budget on October 19, 2005; and, WHEREAS, the City desires to locate the memorial to the veterans of the City of McKinney in the Craig Ranch Towne Center.
NOW, THEREFORE, E IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY Section 1. PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF McKINNEY, COLLIN COUNTY, TEXAS ON THIS THE 18TH DAY OF APRIL 2006. City of McKinney BILL WHITFIELD ATTEST: BEVERLY COVINGTON APPROVED AS TO FORM: MARK S. HOUSER |
These are the five proposed sites, and how the decision on the
final location was arrived.
(click on pictures for large view)
(Jan. 24, 2011-McKinney, Texas) - The Veterans Memorial Park in McKinney will break ground with a ceremony on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. The $1.2 million memorial park received the final amount of funding for its Craig Ranch location when the Collin County Commissioners Court approved a $300,000 park construction grant last year. The park is anticipated to open on Veterans Day this year. "This memorial park is extremely important to our entire community. It took a lot of people to help make it a reality, and we are all eagerly anticipating the dedication this fall," said McKinney Interim City Manager Rick Chaffin. The memorial is located on a half acre site in Van Tuyl Plaza at Craig Ranch. It will feature a Wall of Honor with the inscribed names of those Collin County servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives in defense of our freedom, while it honors all veterans. A lighted American flag will fly 24-hours a day over the wall. A fountain at the base of the flagpole will symbolically water Shumard Red Oak trees representing each branch of the Armed Services. A ribbon-like walkway will extend from one end to the other. "It's been more than five years since we first conceived the idea, and we are all focused on finishing the park in time to honor our fallen soldiers this Veterans Day," said former Marine and McKinney Armed Services Memorial Board member Ronnie Foster. "This park will provide our community and the entire county with a place to remember those who have fought and died for our freedom, and pay tribute to their sacrifice." ----------------------------------------------------------------
McKinney
Courier-Gazette
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