Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 30, 1993 TAG: 9305280124
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Completion of the project marks more than a year of work by a Wall of Honor committee and the donation of more than $35,000 from groups including veterans' organizations and the Wythe County Board of Supervisors, along with many individuals and businesses.
The main speaker will be Brig. Gen. George A. Landis, commander of U.S. Army Personnel Information Systems at Alexandria and previously special assistant to the deputy chief of staff for logistics with the Department of the Army.
Landis has been in the military since graduating in 1963 from the Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Kent State University in Ohio.
Others scheduled to participate are Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon; state Sen. Jack Reasor, D-Bluefield; and Del. Tom Jackson, D-Hillsville.
The Wall of Honor actually is three monuments on one side of Withers Park beyond its circular walking track. Each is an elevated platform with the names of the honorees on bronze plaques.
One contains the names of Wythe Countians who gave their lives during World War I, World War II and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. This section contains four monuments.
Next is the monument to civic leaders who have contributed to the formation of the community. The third monument honors Wythe County residents who have distinguished themselves in sports and have been named in recent years to the Wythe County Sports Hall of Fame.
Music will be provided by the Wytheville Community Band, directed by Jack White; Carl Hamm; and Stars of Hope and Harmony.
The park containing the monuments used to be Withers Field, used over the years for sports activities ranging from professional Appalachian League baseball to sandlot football.
The town has converted it to part of an overall park and recreation complex.
by CNB