Kansas CCC statue project revisited
The Kansas Civilian Conservation Corps statue project is off to a good start. More than $3,000 has been contributed toward the $20,000 project.
The Civilian Conservation Corps, known in short as the CCC, was authorized by Congress five days after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's inauguration in 1933.
His plan called for relief of unemployed youth and the restoring of natural resources. His plan worked, and now those unemployed youth are part of the "Greatest Generation."
The National Association of the CCC Alumni has set a goal to place a life-size bronze statue of a CCC worker in every state in the U.S.
The sculptor is Sergey Kazaryam, a studio artist and model maker for Elliot Gantz and Co., Inc., located in Farmingdale, N.Y. It is the same company that built the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., and many other notable international memorials.
In states where there is an active CCC chapter, alumni have helped raise funds to place 24 statues in 21 states.
Since Kansas no longer has an active CCC chapter, a group of people with a special interest in the CCC has volunteered to work toward obtaining a statue for the State of Kansas.
The statue will be placed at the entrance of Marion County Park and Lake, southeast of Marion.
The park and lake is an outstanding example of how the nation's CCC camps put their individual mark on each project. Using local materials, they emphasized the resources and community that each park would serve.
A dam, parapet, roadways, and ball diamond were built and 14,000 trees were planted by CCC Camp #4755, consisting of black veterans of World War I and the Spanish American War.
The CCC at the time of its initial history enrolled unmarried men from the ages of 17-23. A modification was made to include veterans.
Marion County Park and Lake was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. It is the only facility of its kind in the state of Kansas with this honor.
The Kansas statue will be a memorial to the 38,000 Kansas men who worked throughout the country constructing conservation projects, planting trees, and building state and national parks.
The CCC in Kansas had 32 companies working on 52 projects from 1933-1942. The statue will demonstrate our interest and support for preserving the history and accomplishments of the CCC. It holds the title of being the only conservation group that worked to save the country's environment on a national scale.
Individuals or families who contribute $500 or more will be honored on a plaque at the base of the statue.
Contributions of any amount will be accepted. Checks should be made out to CCC Statue Project and mailed to: CCC Statue Project, Central National Bank, 231 E. Main, Marion KS 66861.
