Kay Howard had one goal, “To do something to ensure we didn’t forget our history.”
Howard graduated from Englewood High School in 1959 and has always felt a strong connection to the people she went to school with. Then came the 50th Englewood High School reunion, “It was being born in World War Two, and it was going to college, and seeing the Vietnam vets come back with PTSD. Then, I made a 50th reunion DVD, and I was so impressed when I did it in sections. I would do sports, dances, and honor people, and then I came to a veteran section, and I started doing research, and I found that we had at least two colonels. There was a woman colonel in 1961.”
She came upon the idea of a memorial to recognize EHS veterans when EHS was being rebuilt in 2013, “One of my classmates was a colonel, and his name is Doug Hole. He lives in Annapolis, and when I got this idea of having the memorial, he came back to see me and talk to me about it. After he went home, he sent me a $20,000 check. And it probably would not have happened if I hadn’t had that seed money to make it grow.”
Even though EHS was rebuilt from the ground up, parts of the gym, old tiles, and Pirate logos still grace the halls. Keeping parts of the history was very important, “Then when I went to the city council I said, you know, I got this idea. I’ve got some money, and so I got a lot of people to help me, and it’s just important that we honor these people.”
Construction began in 2014, “I always say that the monument is history in stone,” Howard said, “The stone is from Lyons, Colorado. It’s three tons. They tried to install it. The crane broke. That cost an extra $1,500 but other than that, it went smoothly.”
The memorial is tucked behind the poles flying the American, Colorado, and Pirate flag. It is on the west side of Englewood High School. Many current students know it’s there, but few know its significance. It is engraved with the five seals from the branches of the military. Carved into the face of the granite is the slogan, “They served to protect our freedom.” Nearly 300 bricks are laid in a five-sided polygon.
Howard says everybody who has a paver or a brick does not necessarily have to be an alumnus of Englewood High School, “For instance, Tim Drago has a paver because Tim was a mentor of mine, and he raised millions of dollars to create the Vietnam Memorial in front of the Capitol building. And it’s gorgeous. It’s lighted and several stories high.”
Some stories behind the pavers are devastating, “There are other people who, for instance, Victor Joe Apodaca was a native Indian, and he went to the Air Force Academy, went to Vietnam, was shot down, missing in action. After he was killed, his parents got a notice from NASA, that he had been accepted into NASA,” Howard said.
Howard said another alum with a paver shared his love for music with the community and Army troops, “Joseph Peterson was a band leader in the Army. The Peterson Orchestra is a 14-piece orchestra, and they performed at most of our events, in the end, Joe Peterson has a paver because he had a significant contribution to our events.”
There are pavers for former students who went to Englewood, and served but didn’t graduate, “One example is Richard Green, who is a famous author. He enlisted in Vietnam before he graduated. At that time, I knew that there was a congressional amendment that you could get an honorary degree for someone who enlisted in the service before they graduated. Richard says he has it on his desk to this day. He’s so proud that he had a diploma, finally,” Howard said. It is called the Veteran Honorary High School Diploma Program. It recognizes the life experiences of veterans who were unable to complete their high school education because of service in the armed forces during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
She continues to put time and effort into the project updating pavers and honoring EHS Veterans and hopes to keep it going for years to come, “It’s just been the joy of my life to do this.”
In the story below, EHS Media students researched names on the individual bricks and shared their stories.
