Page 45 - Sun Rays May 2013

MAY 2013 SUNRAYS | 45
ONLINE: SCTXCA.ORG
Because of their background in the Navy,
and the number of veterans and military
families in Sun City Texas, they decided
to team up to get this project rolling.
CONCEPT TURNS REALITY
Through a network of friends and fellow
veterans, the two men were able to rope
in a good handful of believers, includ-
ing General Chuck Graham (aka “the
steamroller,” according to Bob), the CA
Executive Director at the time, and an
architect who lived in the area.
The Sun City Texas Board of Directors
approved the idea on May 23, 2002, and
the handful of believers became the of-
ficial Veterans Memorial Steering Com-
mittee. The team set about to raise the
$200,000 necessary to build the memo-
rial―they received monetary donations,
income from selling engraved bricks,
donations of materials and labor, and
sponsors to underwrite the memorial. By
February 2003, the committee exceeded
its goal, and construction began.
MAY 26, 2003
The morning of Memorial Day, May 26,
2003, began with a downpour of rain.
Luckily, this is Texas and within a few
hours―just in time for the grand opening
ceremony to begin―the rain stopped and
above the bricks shone a bright blue sky,
speckled with small white clouds with
a hint of sun.
FAST FACTS ABOUT
THE MEMORIAL PLAzA
• Approved May 23, 2002.
• Dedicated on Memorial Day,
May 26, 2003.
• When the memorial plaza was
originally built, there were just
over 2,000 bricks embedded
on the plaza. Today, there are
3,615 engraved bricks.
• The plaza hosts graduations,
award ceremonies, band con-
certs & lectures.
• The memorial plaza is finan-
cially self-sustaining; a major-
ity of income comes from the
sale of engraved bricks.
• The plaza’s official name is
the Georgetown-Williamson
County Veterans Memorial
plaza.
Continued on the next page
Bob Kelety and Doug Kienitz stand in what would become the Veterans Memorial
plaza in 2003.
(Left to right) Gary Newman, Vp of Del Webb and president of the CA Board of Directors; Chuck Graham, Chairman of the
Veterans Memorial Steering Committee (VMSC); John Wood, of the VMSC; Doug Kienitz, of the VMSC; Gary Nelon, Mayor of
Georgetown; and Bob Kelety, of the VMSC, at the official groundbreaking ceremony on May 27, 2002.