Page 12 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2020- Online Magazine

Texas Panhandle War
Memorial Center

by Perry Gilmore, PhD
Executive Director,
Texas Panhandle War Memorial Center

Court voted to grant the War
archway was dedicated to all living Memorial a long-term lease on
veterans on Veterans Day, November their now vacant Annex building
11, 1999. next to the War Memorial Park.
Donations and fundraising
Community corporations that changed gears to remodel the
provided funding for the Celebrate Annex into the present War
reated in 1992, The Texas 2000 projects included Krause Memorial. Approximately $1
Panhandle War Memorial Landscaping and the Texas Potter- million was spent on remodeling
Chonors veterans from the 26 Randall Counties Master Gardeners, the building. The 15,000 square
counties in the Texas Panhandle who spearheaded by Ms. Barbara foot building now boasts a
gave their time and lives to preserve Harrington. The Master Gardeners world-class education center, a
our American way of life. The idea planted a flower garden in the Center small military artifacts museum,
of a War Memorial is credited to Mr. of the memorial site with a red, white, two conference rooms, and a
L. D. Weeks. Mr. Weeks first got the and blue theme. gift shop. The Center opened
idea when he noticed that a park was in 2020, providing referrals to
being built on an empty lot next to On Memorial Day, May 30, 2000, the veterans and their families and
the Randall County Annex. descriptive monoliths for all the wars an education resource to the
were dedicated. The dedication of the Panhandle.
Mr. Weeks approached the Texas tablets naming those killed or missing
Panhandle Chapter 297, Vietnam in action in Korea, Vietnam, and The War Memorial is a not-for-
Veterans of America, Inc., with the the Persian Gulf was dedicated on profit charity; our mission is to
idea for the memorial; they agreed to Veterans Day, November 11, 2000. honor the men and women who
take on the project. On April 27, 1992, have given us our freedom and
Chapter 297 of Vietnam Veterans In November 2001, an anonymous to keep history alive. We have a
of America submitted a proposal to donation of $83,000 allowed for park with an F-100 Super-Saber
the Randall County Commissioners completion of the plans set out in jet and a Huey helicopter. We
Court. The Commissioners gave the the initial project. On Memorial Day, have the second-largest piece
project approval with a unanimous May 30, 2002, the monolith tablets of the USS Arizona in the world,
vote. The groundbreaking ceremony honoring those killed or missing in outside the Arizona Memorial.
and the kick-off for the Memorial action during World War I and World The park memorial has
took place on July 4, 1992. War II were dedicated. At the same
time, a tablet was dedicated honoring
The Board of Directors drew up students killed or missing in action
plans for fundraising activities in who attended West Texas A&M
1996. The objective of the Board had University from its inception in 1910.
always been to raise the needed
funds for the granite part of the The War Memorial began raising
Memorial only. The remainder of funds to build a new Education
the project was to be funded by Center on the grounds. In 2017, the
donations from the community. The Randall County Commissioners

12 Senior Link