The Cupertino Courier
News
Memorial in Cupertino will open on Veterans Day
By Crystal Lu
Construction began Sept. 11 on the Cupertino Veterans Memorial and is expected to be completed by 11 a.m. Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter and Rear Adm. Joseph Kernan, commander of naval special warfare, will be the guest speakers at the completion ceremony.
The fences of the construction site are covered with patriotic drawings by summer school students at Hyde Middle School, and John Muir and Sedgwich elementary schools. Sandra James, a former two-time mayor of Cupertino, came up with the idea as a way of beautifying the construction site and displaying the creativity of local children. More schools will deliver student artwork to the site during the construction period.
"The exciting part [of the construction] is the coming together of our community," said James, adding that the designer of the memorial, Paul Lettieri of Guzzardo Partnership, Inc., and others on the design team, donated their services.
The design for the Cupertino Veterans Memorial at Memorial Park, which the city council unanimously approved, centers around a statue of two U.S. Navy seals poised for combat.
One of the figures represents Cupertino native Matthew Axelson, who was killed in Afghanistan in August 2005 with 18 others.
"This is a wonderful legacy, not only for Matthew to be remembered, but also for all the service men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our liberty," said
Axelson's mother, Donna, who participates in fundraising for the memorial.
A low, sweeping "Wall of Honor" will flank the bronze statue, which was designed by Florida sculptor Sandy Proctor to slightly larger -than-life-size scale.
A "Walk of Remembrance" will carry visitors through the monument, with pavers sold for $250, $500 and $1,000 to honor anyone who served or is serving in the U.S. military.
Eaton Elementary and Kennedy Middle School in Cupertino and Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose have raised funds to purchase $1,000 pavers. Some other schools in Cupertino and San Jose have bought $500 and $250 pavers, and more schools have fundraising activities for paver purchases under way.
The construction will cost $650,000. The city contributed $55,000, approximately $1 for each resident. So far $400,000 has been raised. There is a guarantee of the remainder from a private donor, but the fundraising effort still continues. Major donors' names will be mentioned on a granite plaque at the site.
The Korean community donated more than $75,000 for the cost of the second figure in the statue that represents Axelson's teammate James Suh, who died in a helicopter in the same incident. Suh's family lives in Benicia, organizers said.
In August 2005, Tony Banderman, who went through Cupertino schools with Axelson and was taught by his mother in fourth grade, presented a plan to the city council for a memorial to Axelson. At the time, the council decided a memorial open to all veterans would be more appropriate.
The council unanimously approved authorizing the nonprofit Cupertino Veterans Memorial Corporation to design and fund the placement of a veterans memorial in Memorial Park.
