Admiral Ernest J. King Lays Cornerstone of War Memorial – August 30, 1942

A closeup of the monument today

Eighty-four years ago today on August 31, 1942, the front page of the Lorain Journal featured the participation of Lorain-born hero Admiral Ernest J. King in the laying of the cornerstone of the war memorial in Lakeview Park on the previous day. The ceremony was just part of King's visit to his hometown during the three-day "Home Front" celebration with a "Blast the Enemy" theme.

I've written about the monument before, as well as the Home Front celebration (with Parts 1, 2 and 3).

Here's the front page article and its continuations on pages 2 and 11 of that edition. As you can see, the Admiral was a busy man during his visit, with many appearances, speeches and a parade.

It's interesting that the continuation of the article about the dedication of the monument on page 11 mentions that King "was assisted in laying the cornerstone by William Kratt." In a previous post about the monument, I posted a photo that was provided by a Kratt family member of Mr. Kratt posing in front of the monument. He had worked on the masonry when the monument was made.

I noticed that the photo is inscribed Amherst Memorial Studio. The firm is still around, and has done all of the Brady family headstones going back to my father's grandparents.