By Gari Voss
The southwest corner of the Pullman Town Square will soon be adorned with a Veterans Memorial. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Ralph Daily Jr. Post 6134 in Pullman, Michigan and Beautify Pullman are collaborating to bring this memorial to fruition.
The memorial began as a heartfelt comment by Post Commander Jaimie Austin after the Flag Raising ceremony during the Ribbon Cutting for the new Town Square. A query to artist Mike Kiefer who created the sign for the Town Square brought enthusiastic support. A conversation amongst Beautify Pullman, Post 6134 and community members started the ball rolling.
“Pullman and Lee Township citizens have always answered the Nations call. After World War II, local residents erected a wall with a list of 134 veterans from Pullman and the local community. Over time, the ‘Honor Roll’ and wall deteriorated and approximately twenty years ago it was taken down. Now, with the new Pullman Town Square, we have an opportunity to restore the Honor Roll,” reported members of the VFW and Beautify Pullman.
Commander Austin continued, “It is important for the community to realize that people here have served our country to preserve our freedom and to acknowledge them. It is important for grandkids to go to park and see their grandpa’s or grandma’s name on the board.”
Post 6134 approached Beautify Pullman for assistance in bringing their vision to fruition. The next step was to commission Mike Kiefer as the artist who would design and create a structure that would display the names of more than 400 Pullman women and men who served in the five military branches. Then fund raising began.
Artist Mike Kiefer from South Haven was enthusiastic to create a sculpture that would portray the courage and commitment of the veterans. “We wanted something more organic for the park environment. Something that was not overly formal. I designed a tree stump that is about 5 feet high. The names of the 5 branches of the military will be carved into the tree trunk. The names of the veterans will be more formal,” explained Kiefer. “There is still more to be worked out. I am working the tree trunk in concrete so it will last forever. There is texturing to do so it looks like a real tree.”
Kiefer is no stranger to Southwest Michigan. His company, Great Lakes Boatbuilding Company, honed his skills as a craftsman who provided props for films like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and Lemony Snicket. Along with boats, Kiefer dove into sign making and painting of pictures. Much of his work highlights maritime themes with beachscapes and seascapes.
The sculpture created for the Pullman Veterans Memorial is not Kiefer’s first. Previously, he designed and built a memorial plaque for the South Haven American Legion.
“The South Haven memorial is quite elaborate and contains the names of veterans, but it is housed inside. The Pullman structure is outside so it will be significantly different in some ways,” elaborated Kiefer. “It will be unique. There will not be anything else like it. I think everyone will be proud of the memorial, and I’m having a great time building it.”
Currently, genealogist Mary Till has been researching names of military personnel beginning with the Civil War. The previous Honor Wall offered a beginning.
“Mary has run into difficulties with the Korean War. Then there are all the other conflicts. We are really reaching out to individuals in Lee Township to pull together more names. The beauty of gathering names is the stories. People bring pictures and information of loved ones who served,” shared Beautify Pullman sub-committee member Kris LaPoint.
“Commander Jamie Austin, BP board member Preston Davis and I have been working with Mike. In addition to visiting with Mike to review suggestions for the sculpture, we researched and selected a brick designer. This is truly a project of the heart. The Vets are the backbone of our country. We really must honor these men and women,” LaPoint continued. “Our cemetery is out of town so having the memorial in the Town Square will allow people to sit and enjoy memories of their loved ones and other who have served.”
Fund Raising has Begun
To support the competition of this dream, a number of fund raisers have been planned. Saturday, February 11, 2023 from 3 – 6:30pm, a Turkey Dinner will be offered at the Pullman VFW Post 6134 on 109th Ave. Customers can come in to enjoy turkey, stiffing, potatoes, veggies, salad and a roll for $10. Those who are unable to stay can make orders by Feb. 9, 2023 by 6pm by calling 269 236-5531. To-go dinners will be packaged in oven safe containers and can be picked up after Noon on Feb. 11th. There will be a 50/50 raffle and a raffle of a variety of items. For those dining in, drinks will be available at the bar.
In addition, engraved bricks designed by Polar Engraving can be purchased. Each brick can have names plus engraved clip art.
“We investigated several companies that engrave memorial bricks and found Polar Engraving to be dependable and affordable as they ship bricks all over the US. There is a sample brick at the VFW Post. Polar Engraving is one of the few companies authorized to engrave the VFW and military emblems. The military memorials are beautiful, plus contributors can design their own brick. Brochures can be found at the VFW Post, Pizza Plus, the Mobile Station, Preferred Market, and Friends & Family Café. Or they can go online at https://polarengraving.com/pullmanvfw,” shared Beautify Pullman Treasurer Patricia Conway.
For additional information regarding the memorial or how to contribute, contact info@beautifypullman.org or call Kris LaPoint 773 842-9820 or Jamie Austin 269 993-8648.
There are still decisions to be made on the arrangement of the sculpture, bricks and bench, but all are confident that it will be done before Memorial Day when there will be a formal ceremony along with the parade that begins in the heart of town and travels to the cemetery.