PUBLIC "-//Library of Virginia//TEXT (US::Vi::vi05090::A Guide to the Records of the Virginia War Memorial Commission, 1953-1983)//EN" "vi05090.xml" A Guide to the Records of the Virginia War Memorial Commission, 1953-1983 Virginia War Memorial Commission Records, 1953-1983 33938 LVA Staff Library of Virginia © 2023 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved. Machine-readable finding aid created in EAD by Renee M. Savits, 13 January 2023 Description is in English A Guide to the Records of the Virginia War Memorial Commission, 1953-1983 A Collection in the Library of Virginia 33938

Library of Virginia 2023 LVA Staff Library of Virginia Descriptive Summary The Library of Virginia Records of the Virginia War Memorial Commission, 1953-1983 33938 5.5 cu. ft. (14 boxes) English Virginia. War Memorial Commission. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia War Memorial Commission. Records, 1953-1983. Accession 33938, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Transferred at an unknown date by the Dept. of Historic Resources, Richmond, Va.

Biographical Information

Created by an Act of the General Assembly (Chapter 244) in 1950, the Virginia World War II Memorial Commission was authorized to erect a World War II Memorial building to honor those Virginians who had served in World War II. The Commission, composed of fourteen members (five from the House of Delegates appointed by the Speaker of the House, four Senators appointed by the President of the Senate; four citizens-at-large appointed by the Governor; and the Adjutant General of Virginia), acts as the official custodian of the Memorial.

In 1979, the original Act was amended (Chapter 300) to honor not only the servicemen of World War II but also those of all modern wars. The name of the Commission was changed to the Virginia War Memorial Commission and its membership increased to include five citizens-at-large.

In 1984, the Act was repealed (Chapter 750). The Commission was put under the auspices of the Department of Conservation and Historic Resources. The composition of the Commission remained the same and its function as the custodian of the Memorial remained the same. In addition, the Commission was to participate with the Department, the U.S. military, and recognized veterans organizations in the planning, development, and execution of appropriate events that furthered the purposes of Chapter 750.

In 1985, the Legislature changed the name of the Commission to the Virginia War Memorial Board (Chapter 448). Its composition and function remained the same. When the Department of Conservation and Historic Resources reorganized in 1989, the Board was placed under the Department of Historic Resources (formerly the Division of Historic Landmarks within the Department).

The Virginia War Memorial building, located in Richmond, is an open marble and glass structure with the names of the war dead from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War etched into the walls. A marble statue sculpted by Leo Friedlander and entitled "Memory" stands at one end of the structure. At its base burns a "Torch of Liberty." Relics of various battle sites lie embedded in the floor of the Memorial. Designed by the architectural firm of T.J. Collins and Son of Staunton, Virginia, and built by the Thorington Construction Company, the Virginia War Memorial was dedicated on February 29, 1956. Subsequently, a Vietnam Wing, designed by the architectural firm of Ballou and Justice of Richmond, and constructed by Taylor and Parrish, Inc. of Richmond, was dedicated on November 20, 1981.

Civic, patriotic, and education groups may use the Memorial's small auditorium. Applications for use are reviewed by the Department of Historic Resources which then issues permits for use. The Capitol Police provide security for the Memorial and the Department of Buildings and Grounds provides grounds keeping and maintenance at the Memorial.

 Scope and Content

Records, 1953-1983, of the Virginia War Memorial Commission are housed in fourteen boxes and arranged alphabetically by folder title, with restricted materials to the rear. Included are architectural drawings and blueprints, correspondence, permits and applications, photographs, meeting minutes, and various artifacts.

Includes correspondence, 1954-1983, detailing the construction and building of the Virginia World War II Memorial, as well as the addition of the Vietnam Wing of the building. Also included are permits and applications to use the building from various organizations; photographs of the Vietnam Wing Dedication; correspondence, lists, photographs, and programs of the Tribute to Vietnam Veterans Parade held in Washington, D.C. on 13 November 1982; and minutes of the War Memorial Commission, 1961-1981. Some Vietnam era artifacts are also included such as a flag, money, and spent shell casing.

The architectural drawings, construction records, and blueprints are restricted and placed at the end of the collection in their own box.

 Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

 Contents List Biennial report, 1960-1961 1 1 Chairfund, 1962-1980 1 2 Competition for memorial, 1951 1 3 Correspondence, 1954 1 4 Correspondence, 1955 1 5 Correspondence, 1956-1957 1 6 Correspondence, 1958 1 7 Correspondence, 1961 1 8 Correspondence, 1962 1 9 Correspondence, 1963 1 10 Correspondence, 1964 1 11 Correspondence, 1965 1 12 Correspondence, 1966 2 1 Correspondence, 1967 2 2 Correspondence, 1968 2 3 Correspondence, 1969 2 4 Correspondence, 1970 2 5 Correspondence, 1971 2 6 Correspondence, 1972 2 7 Correspondence, 1973 2 8 Correspondence, 1974 2 9 Correspondence, 1975 2 10 Correspondence, 1976 2 11 Correspondence, 1977 January-June 2 12 Correspondence, 1977 July-December 2 13 Correspondence, 1978 January-June 2 14 Correspondence, 1978 July-December 2 15 Correspondence, 1979 2 16 Correspondence, 1980 2 17 Correspondence, 1981 January-June 3 1 Correspondence, 1981 July-December 3 2 Correspondence, Vietnam Wing Dedication, 1981 3 3 Correspondence, 1982 3 4 Correspondence, 1983 3 5 Insurance records, 1956-1978 3 6 Mailing list, ca. 1980 3 7 Mechanical specifications, nd 3 8 Pamphlets, postcards, etc., ca. 1950-1960 3 9 Permits and applications, 1960 3 10 Permits and applications, 1961-1962 3 11 Permits and applications, 1963-1964 3 12 Permits and applications, 1965 4 1 Permits and applications, 1966 4 2 Permits and applications, 1967 4 3 Permits and applications, 1969 4 4 Permits and applications, 1970 January-June 4 5 Permits and applications, 1970 July-December 4 6 Permits and applications, 1971 January-February 4 7 Permits and applications, 1971 March-July 4 8 Permits and applications, 1971 August-December 4 9 Permits and applications, 1972 January-February 4 10 Permits and applications, 1972 March-August 4 11 Permits and applications, 1972 September-December 4 12 Permits and applications, 1973 4 13 Permits and applications, 1974 5 1 Permits and applications, 1975 5 2 Permits and applications, 1976 5 3 Permits and applications, 1977 January-June 5 4 Permits and applications, 1977 July-December 5 5 Permits and applications, 1978 5 6 Permits and applications, 1979 5 7 Permits and applications, 1980 5 8 Permits and applications, 1981 5 9 Permits and applications, 1982 5 10 Photographs, Misc., ca. 1960-1970 5 11 Poem, nd 5 12 Publicity, 1961-1978 5 13 Requests for proposals, 1954 5 14 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Certificate of recognition, 1982 6 1 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence, 1982 June-September 6 2 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence 1982 October 6 3 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence 1982 November-December 6 4 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence, A-B, 1982 December 6 5 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence, C-D, 1982 December 6 6 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence, E-G, 1982 December 6 7 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence, H-K, 1982 December 6 8 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence, L-M, 1982 December 6 9 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence, N-S, 1982 December 6 10 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence, T-Z, 1982 December 6 11 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Correspondence, 1983 7 1 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Financial records, 1982 7 2 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Insignia, 1982 7 3 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Lists of participants, 1982 7 4-5 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Lists of organizations, 1982 7 6 Vietnam Veterans Parade, List of Vietnam KIA from Virginia, nd 7 7 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Photographs, Negatives, 1982 7 8 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Photographs, Black and white, 1982 7 9 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Photographs, Color, 1982 7 10 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Programs, pamphlets, etc., ca. 1980 7 11 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Publicity, 1982 7 12 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Schedules, instructions, maps, ca. 1982 7 13 Vietnam Veterans Parade, Task Force, Minutes, 1982 7 14 Vietnam Wing Dedication, KIA lists, nd 8 1 Vietnam Wing Dedication, Lists, Guests, 1981-1982 8 2 Vietnam Wing Dedication, Misc. records, 1981-1982 8 3 Vietnam Wing Dedication, Photographs, Black and white, 1981-1982 8 4-5 Vietnam Wing Dedication, Photographs, Color, 1981-1982 8 6 Vietnam Wing Dedication, Video, PSA: Gov. Charles Robb National Salute [unreformatted], 1981-1982 8 7 Visitor statistics, 1955-1973 9 1 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1961 9 2 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1964 9 3 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1965 9 4 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1966 9 5 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1968 9 6 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1971 9 7-8 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1972 9 9 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1973 9 10-11 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1974 9 12 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1975 9 13 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1977 9 14 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1978 9 15 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1979 9 16 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1980 9 17 War Memorial Commission, Meeting, 1981 9 18 Weekly report of the Clerk of the Works, 1954 November-December 9 19 Artifacts, Partial plank from the USS New Jersey 10 Artifacts, Canvas pouch 10 Artifacts, Strap 10 Artifacts, Vietnamese money 10 Artifacts, Cartoon 10 Artifacts, Spent shell casing 11 Artifacts, Lucite block with soil and gravel from Vierville-sur-Mer 12 Artifacts, South Vietnamese flag 13 Architectural drawings [restricted], 1978 14 1 Blueprints [restricted], ca. 1955 14 2-3 Construction records [restricted], 1953-1979 14 4 Mechanical specifications [restricted], ca. 1955 14 5