§ To Those Who Keep Us Free...

I mentioned in my previous post about walking around the largest cemetery here in town. I ended up walking the distance to reach the war memorial grounds for those who served with honor and dignity to keep our country free...

As you enter the unbroken circle a plaque has been set in stone. Each upright slab of rose granite has names of Corpus Christians who served and sacrificed life for their country, etched for life-long memory, for each of the military branches, including the United States Coast Guard. All grave markers have the fire pit for a small gas lighted eternal flame...

...walking further from the Veteran's Memorial Grounds I found this, and must admit my thought of how poignant this is. It's a 'stand alone' momument, carved with a verse that is heart warming and heart breaking at the same time:

In case you have difficulty viewing the carved stone the words, verbatim, are as follows:

THE BROKEN CHAIN

We little knew that morning

That God was going to call your name.

In life we loved you dearly

In death we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you

You did not go alone

For part of us went with you

The day God called you home.

You left us peaceful memories

Your love is still our guide.

And though we cannot see you

You are always on our side.

Our family chain is broken,

And nothing seems the same.

But God calls us one by one

The chain will link again.

IN MEMORY OF THOSE OF MY OWN FAMILY WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY, and friends alike:

My Great Grandfather NY...Union...Civil War

My Uncle - US Air Corps - Belly Gunner, shot down over the English Channel WWII

My Brother - USMC Peace Time

My Brother - USAF End of Korean War

My Brother - US Army Peace Time

My Husband - US Navy Peace Time

My Son [and now deceased son-in-law] USMC -Gulf War

Frank - US Special Forces  ♥- -KIA- -♥ Viet Nam War [special, dear friend and school mate]

...and in loving, a parting memorial recognition to both my parents...gone but never forgotten.

§ Ummmm, Corpus, we have...HAD a problem!!!

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Several posts ago, I had published photos of the newest addition to the downtown area of the public fountain by the bay. I had also mentioned that just blocks away a very ugly sight that ruined the ambiance was an eye sore to all who drove by or walked along the seawall. When we moved here, nearly 6 years ago, the building was in shambles and actually, to my point of view, a monstrosity that was just hanging on, dangerously, by its last threads! At one time, there was a overlap on the roofing, that shaded the sidewalk....but, walking under that overhang, you could actually look up and see asbestos that had rotted...it was oozing out of the structural roofing. It was ugly, it was a civil danger to those who came near. The top of the roof was rusting out...the roof covering long since blown off or rotted away. Altho at its heyday, I'm sure it was a marvel. Afterall, the building itself withstood the category 5 hurricane that hit the city in 1970, and numerous other damaging storms that came ashore.

It was scheduled for demolition finally this past winter. The city council had hired a crew to tear the death trap down!! I was elated. I did not like it one iota, from the very first days living here. I encouraged many to go tell their representatives to get it down...tear it out, and improve the city's landscaping. Bring back some of the beauty for the streets downtown. Finally...finally...it was going to come down!!! It was scheduled to have the destruction on a day in January of 2010. But delayed. Then, a group called Friends of the Coliseum took their fight to the capital...Austin Texas. There a judge put a temporary hold on any demolition slated. All the time, the city of Corpus Christi had to pay daily for the delay; costing the taxpayers thousands of dollars for each day it was postponed. Fighting, protesting against and for...went on and on. The group tried to have the state of Texas proclaim it a state historical sight. All the while, the tab from the demolition company grew to exorbitant amounts of cost.

Let me reiterate, it was dangerous, it was falling apart, it was eroding from time, it was ugly, it was in great disarray. It was giving the city's name in so many ways...that we were idiots to not just go in there ourselves and blow it up! Believe me, if I had known anything about how to do it on my own safely, and without getting caught and jailed...it DID CROSS MY MIND. I hated it that much.

Finally, the citizens of the Sparkling City By the Bay won over the Friends of the Coliseum....the demolition began. In turn, the Friends group has to pay for the delay that they caused!! They are fined the amount that cost the city!!!!!! And the first view of the one minute You Tube video I found on the 'net [link provided]....the roof; this is NOT part of the demolition work...this is how it was BEFORE it began. Along with weeded vacant lots and a parking lot that was in shambles.

Click here for the video


For a little history of the coliseum...it was built over 50 years ago, dedicated to the men and women who served during World War II. Hence, the title stuck...The Memorial Coliseum. It was used for sports mainly...for the Corpus Christi Ice Rays [hockey]. The Rays moved out to the American Bank Center, leaving the coliseum empty and unattended for years. The original design included a comprehensive plan for a bayfront 'Civic Center' which would include a City Hall, an auditorium/coliseum, a medium-size exposition hall and two parks. Nothing, other than the coliseum itself came to pass. In 1954, during the final construction phase of the Coliseum, Progressive Architecture featured the building again. Its lamella roof was pictured on the magazine’s cover and the related article discussed the design of the auditorium and included several photos of the building under construction. In 1955, Memorial Coliseum was included in the “Building and Construction” section of the Encyclopedia Britannica Book-of-the-Year. In 1958, the Coliseum was photographed for the Carnegie Study of the Arts of the United States by photographer John Waggaman. It was chosen because of its “significance in the history of American Architecture” and for its “successful merger of beauty and functionality.” A photograph of Memorial Coliseum was also displayed in the United States pavilion at Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Both the unusual design and the innovative construction methods of Memorial Coliseum were featured in Engineering News-Record, Architectural Forum, United States Steel trade magazine, Time magazine, Architectural Record, Welding Arcs, L’architecture d’aujourd’hui (France), Techniques et Architecture (France) and Informes de la Construccion (Spain), just to name a few.

Bud and I have kept a vigil on the progress of tearing it down. LOL We're both quite pleased to see it go. Of course, it is a memorial...it means a lot to so many...but in our way of thinking, they did nothing to restore its beauty for the people...those so called 'friends of the coliseum'. They waited too long. They waited 'til their nest was full of crap and then tried to fight when all along over the years they could have made it an open pavillion or something and beautified the property. Sometimes I don't understand the logic of many. I guess I'm not supposed to in any case. Hopefully, the city will plant greenery around where the monstrosity once stood. Or even hire someone to erect a statue dedicating it to those from this area who DID serve during World War II. They could actually even use the brick to surround the sculpture. There are just so many ways of beautifying the area now. Yes, that's me, picking up the discarded brick. Afterall, it IS a piece of history.








POSTED: Monday, June 7th, 2010
12:20 A.M.

edition #59


Since Friday is the beginning of a "long weekend" for the U S of A, I thought I'd do some research of the history behind the holiday ---
All about Memorial Day in the United States. And then some.....

1] According to Yale University -the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who had died while captive. A parade with thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers was followed by patriotic singing and a picnic.

2] The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. The village was credited with being the birthplace because it observed the day on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter.

3] It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country.

4] Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials.

5] A national moment of remembrance [silence] takes place at 3 p.m. US Eastern time.

6] Another tradition is to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time.

7] Volunteers place a U.S. flag upon each gravesite located in a National Cemetery.

8] The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882, but did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967.

9] On June 28, 1968, the United States Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved three holidays from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend and for the first time recognized Columbus Day as a federal holiday. The holidays included Washington's Birthday (which evolved into Presidents' Day), Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.

10] It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action.

11] Traditionally, it's also the day of the USA's -One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.

12] Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional day since 1998.

13]



Also, I feel compelled to always be supportive of ALL USA's troops!!
[this video above is soldiers and the song...."Mr. Lonely" by the singer of my generation, Bobby Vinton]