Following over a decade of fundraising efforts and volunteering from multiple people, the Tenino Veterans Honor Roll Memorial Wall is finally standing at Tenino City Park.
Dozens of local veterans, along with their family and friends, turned out on Saturday, July 18, to hold a dedication ceremony for the memorial wall, located near the entrance of the Tenino Quarry Pool at the park.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5878 Surgeon Frank Hicks, chairman of the Honor Roll Wall Committee, spoke to start the ceremony.
“Over the last 11 years, many people have committed their time and their energy to do this dedication and to do this memorial,” Hicks said.
He thanked the other partner organizations in the committee — which included VFW Post 5878 and its auxiliary post, Tenino American Legion Post 69, and South Thurston County Historical Society.
He also thanked the City of Tenino and Tenino Mayor Dave Watterson for their support and help in getting the memorial constructed at the city park, along with those who helped prepare the wall’s site and carve the stone.
Watterson spoke and thanked his fellow city councilors in attendance, Elaine Klamn, Adam Carney and Linda Gotovac, for attending the ceremony, along with the “distinguished guest” veterans and those with them.
“We stand together today in our beautiful city park, a place defined by its history, with its towering trees and cool water of our historic quarry pool,” Watterson said. “While we often think of this park as a place for summer recreation and family gatherings, it holds a deep, sacred past. Seventy-six years ago, on June 18 — ironically today’s the 18th, so it’s 76 years and one month ago — the city first opened the pool. And the public named it the ‘Tenino Memorial Pool,’ proudly known by many as the ‘Veterans Pool.’ It was meant to stand as a living tribute to those who served. Today, right here on these grounds, we fulfill that legacy by dedicating the Tenino veterans wall memorial.”
The wall is meant to be a permanent replacement to the original veterans memorial that was set up to honor Tenino High School graduates who served in various wars. It was made of wood and eventually deteriorated due to exposure to the elements.
“Because of the decade of hard work, every name on this wall now has a permanent place in our history,” Watterson added.
Measuring 13 feet long and over 7 feet tall, the Tenino Veterans Honor Roll Memorial Wall is composed of local Tenino sandstone, along with Wilkeson sandstone, Pennsylvania bluestone, polished granite, concrete building blocks and plaster. Many members of the Tenino Stone Carvers Guild also worked to get the wall standing.
The Tenino Veterans Honor Roll Memorial Wall can be found outside the gates of the Tenino Quarry Pool at the Tenino City Park, located at 215 Park Ave. E. in the South Thurston County community.
A full recording of Saturday’s dedication ceremony can be found on the Tenino Area Chamber of Commerce YouTube page at https://tinyurl.com/2permvs2.
