Past, present, and future merged at the rededication
ceremony held in Kemper Memorial Park on May 25th.
Exactly 75 years before, on May 25, 1947, the Park was
officially accepted by the Mamaroneck School District as
a gift from the family of Adolph Kemper, whose son, Lt.
Richard Kemper, died during the Normandy Campaign in
France.
The rededication ceremony, marking the Park’s 75th
anniversary, was organized to mirror the original
ceremony as closely as possible, including the School
District’s symbolic acceptance of the gift once again. MHS
students participating in the annual Kemper Contest this
year were given a quote from the original dedication
ceremony and asked if those words still have meaning
today. The winning essay and poem both conveyed that
they do.
The ceremony also focused on the Park’s future. On
display were four new metal tablets that will soon be
installed over the original engravings on the monument,
which have deteriorated over time. They were created to
ensure that the names of the Kemper honorees will be
clearly visible for at least the next 75 years.
Additionally, a hard drive containing the complete
history of the Park from its inception until now will be
buried behind the monument. This time capsule will be
unearthed on the Park’s 100th Anniversary in
2047.
Linking generations has always been a major goal of the
Kemper Memorial Park Preservation Fund and the
Rededication Ceremony was a further example of our
success. As always, we are grateful for the support
that enabled us to do it.
We encourage you to view the entire ceremony below so
you too can take pride in being part of a community that
keeps its promise to honor those who sacrificed
everything for us.
