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Lakelanders gathered on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Veteran’s Memorial Park to honor military service members and dedicate the park’s 23rd monument.
People often tell veterans, ‘Thank you for your service,’ said Terry Coney, city commissioner and retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. “But the most important thing is to say, ‘Thank you for my freedom,’” he reminded attendees.
Coney recognized the park’s location, in an area of the city that used to be home to Morehead, a historically Black neighborhood. He paid tribute to the veterans that lived in the community.
“The building of the Lakeland Civic Center, now the RP Funding Center in 1974, displaced the Morehead community,” said former City Commissioner and retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Don Selvage.
“Now, this park honors veterans, law enforcement, and firefighter/fire rescue personnel. It was envisioned by the Veterans Council and the city of Lakeland, after 9/11, as a park dedicated to those who serve our country and community,” Selvage said.
The statue unveiled on Saturday depicts Mary Katharine Goddard, the first female postmaster in the U.S. and a Baltimore printer.
“The stories behind these beautiful tributes are as varied and diverse as the pieces themselves,” Selvage said. “They grace this hill overlooking Lake Beulah because an individual, a family, or a group, cared enough to organize, generate awareness, and raise the necessary funds.”
The new monument was made possible by the Path to Freedom initiative, led by Platform Art, in collaboration with the Lakeland chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Polk County Veterans Council. Becky Ault and Mike Cunningham of ART Design Group created the statue.
A unique Revolutionary War figure
“We could have done the obvious by selecting one of the founders that everybody knows, but there’s a lot of monuments to those people already,” said K. Alan Snyder, historian, author, and professor. “We decided to choose one of those little-known people, Mary Katherine Goddard.”
Goddard produced the first official copy of the Declaration of Independence to list all 55 signers by name. She included her own name at the end of the document, identifying herself as a traitor in the eyes of the British government, alongside the rest of the original signers.
“She also pledged her life, safety, and sacred honor,” said Christopher J. Young, professor of history at Indiana University Northwest. “She was a patriot, just as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and John Hancock were.”
“We foresee that 50 years from now, new generations will stand right here, celebrating the country’s 300th birthday,” said J. Lenora Bresler, co-chair of the Path to Freedom project and Lakeland Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution member.
“We pray they still feel the humble gratitude we feel for our veterans and first responders who exemplify the honor, sacrifice, and service that sustain our nation. May Almighty God preserve the United States of America and this park’s testimony to the courage required to keep it free.”
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