We see an impressive two-story building joining the west end of the south stands, adding the same sense of pride and permanence as the Bowerman building at Hayward Field. With 20,000 cubic feet of dry, secure storage and two new ADA-compliant bathrooms on the ground floor, the building will protect the District's Olympic-caliber pole vault and high jump pits, hurdles, football and band equipment.
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OUR
vision
We see an impressive two-story building abutting the west end of the south stands, adding the same sense of pride and permanence to Prefontaine Track as the Bowerman building at Hayward Field. With 20,000 cubic feet of dry, secure storage and two new ADA-compliant bathrooms on the ground floor, the building will protect the District's Olympic-caliber pole vault and high jump pits, hurdles, football and band equipment.
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We see a 1400-square foot meeting area on the second floor with four large, themed display areas honoring veterans affiliated with the Coos Bay School District. This space serves as a living museum, recording military service of every affiliated veteran, celebrating the legacy of our most famous, and educating future generations.
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We see local veterans' groups drawn to the hall and its reverent respect for their service. We see a place for ceremonies and educational forums, team meetings, classroom field trips, and a joyous gathering place for alumni and sports fans.
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We see a community joining hands to create something remarkable. We see Pirate pride embodied in a building that captures and honors our military heritage.
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We see Tribute Hall.
Honoring every veteran
Creating a "virtual" shadowbox
We see a multimedia presentation honoring affiliated veterans with as much information as we can glean from service records, family members, and online historical sites. At right are some of the items we hope to include in as many veteran's archives as possible, to be accessible by any visitor to the Hall, particularly the veteran's family.
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These presentations will be displayed on a large screen in the center of our four themed display areas.
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According to some accounts of naval history and tradition, when a sailor retires and is departing the ship for the last time, it's considered bad luck for the sailor's shadow to touch land before he/she does. Thus, the sailor's shipmates would construct a sturdy box, hand-crafted of the finest materials, in which to display mementos of the sailor's accomplishments -- thereby symbolically creating a "shadow" of the sailor. The box safely contains the sailor's "shadow" until he/she is safely ashore, at which time the shadow box can be given to the sailor in a presentation ceremony.
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Historically, when a sailor would join a ship's crew, he would join that ship for his entire career. During the sailor's voyages to ports of call around the world, he would collect many trinkets, souvenirs, and reminders of his travels. Naturally, as space aboard ship was at a premium, these items tended to be small. When the sailor piped ashore for the last time, his shipmates saw to it that a special ceremonial box was constructed for him. The box would hold all the possessions that had been collected during those many voyages, a and would simultaneously symbolize the sailor's career and time aboard ship.
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Ideally, a shadow box serves not only as a reminder of achievements and accomplishments, but also as a summation, a culmination, of a career. A shadow box should enable a stranger glancing at its contents to gain a substantial understanding of the owner's past service and achievements. (from the website http://www.goatlocker.org/)
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Multimedia archives
Interview with General David M. Jones (retired) about his experiences as a POW. His exploits in captivity inspired the Steve McQueen character in the 1963 movie "The Great Escape."
Former US Naval Officer Bill Huggins returned from WWII and built Huggins Insurance into a thriving business while serving the greater community as leader of service and philanthropic organizations.
US Army veteran and Hall of Fame coach Walt McClure's
obitutary.
Nearly 2-hour interview of Len Farr in 1994 by the Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education about his role in liberating Buchenwald concentration camp.