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April 17
1930 - Telephone switchboard operator Louise Gipe, heroine of the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster, tries & fails to kill herself over an unrequited love [story]
Louise Gipe


Commentary by Christy Smith
| Monday, Aug 22, 2016

ChristySmithPreserving our local history has long been a priority for our community. We’ve enjoyed the benefit of families who have lived here for generations, an active historical society and the documentary talents of folks like Leon Worden who work to keep the records of our past alive and accessible.

We are now on the precipice of another wonderful opportunity to honor our community’s history by memorializing those who have served and sacrificed for our nation. Led by my neighbor and friend Bill Reynolds, a group of local veterans and their families whose service spans decades from World War II to Desert Storm and Afghanistan have come together to promote a Fallen Warriors Memorial to be erected in the city’s Memorial Park.

The piece itself is a beautiful granite wall with etchings of acts of heroism spanning our nation’s conflicts on one side and on the other will list the names of our community’s fallen.

As the granddaughter and daughter of veterans, a long-time local resident, and as a local school board member, I believe it is essential that we make every effort not only to honor those we’ve lost but also to commemorate their contribution to our shared history in a tangible and meaningful way that is accessible to our whole community.

As the City Council takes up this issue again this week to push it across the finish line, I commend them for honoring the passion and dedication of our local veterans and the numerous community leaders and businesses who have pledged to fund and install this memorial.

The Fallen Warriors Memorial will be another shining example of our deeply rooted sense of community and our commitment to preserve our history.

 

Christy Smith is a Newhall School Board member and candidate for state Assembly.

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1 Comment

  1. Tracy Costan says:

    You should take your own words, “A Shining Example” and actually be a positive example in your community as a school board member. Even though your passion for a memorial wall for our veterans is commendable and truly well-deserving for all those who serve in our military, your position on choices for school, in particular, charter schools, is deplorable. I hope the SCV community remembers your hostility and attacks on charters not to mention the amount of money spent by the NSD in unsuccessful lawsuits over charters. It’s ironic that someone who can be so passionate about our veterans and their fight for freedom can also be the same someone who is trying to take away the freedom of choice for schools for people in her community–maybe even children and grandchildren of military personnel.I’m hopeful the SCV community will see you as the flawed candidate you are and how voting for you, is a vote against ‘freedom of choice’.

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