The Lakeview Park War Memorial

William Kratt posing in front of the memorial at Lakeview Park circa 1942

The monument today

On Memorial Day, I featured a photo of the Lakeview Park War Memorial, which was dedicated to the men and women of Lorain who served in World Wars I and II.

Well, yesterday I received a terrific photo (above) in my email from Diane Fort. As Diane explained, "That's William Kratt who worked on the masonry when it was first made."

Diane is related to the Kratts; George Kratt, who owned a lumber yard in Lorain in the early 1900s, is her great-grandfather.

It's interesting to compare the view of Lakeview Park behind the not-quite-finished monument with the same view today that I posted on Monday.

And here's the Lorain Journal front page of the laying of the cornerstone by none other than Admiral Ernest J. King on August 30, 1942.

Tomorrow: More on the Kratt Family of Lorain