Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 20 board members joined Mayor Sylvester Turner, Council Member Edward Pollard and other officials in late May for the dedication of an outdoor memorial at Club Creek Park to honor U.S. military members from the Houston area who died in the Vietnam War.
Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 20 funded the project with $1.31 million; another $100,000 came from Pollard’s district funds. Pollard, whose father Donald Pollard Sr., served in the military in Vietnam, had proposed the idea of the memorial a few years ago and collaborated with the TIRZ on its planning.
“In the absence of these TIRZs, today would not be happening,” the mayor said.
About 400 people attended the ceremony, including men and women from the U.S. and Vietnam who fought in the war.
“The government entity I represent is honored to serve one of the most diverse parts of our uniquely diverse city,” TIRZ Chairman Welcome Wilson Jr. said. “So we are happy that the memorial will turn some of our thoughts to our neighbors who came to Houston from Vietnam, as well as their children and grandchildren and their future generations. Houston is a better place because of the Vietnamese-American community, and we hope you will share in the meaning of the memorial.”
“But that’s not all,” Wilson added. “At a time when so many levels of our government seem bitterly divided, today’s event is a fine example of how governments work together.”
In addition to memorializing the hundreds of Houston residents who lost their lives, Pollard said, the monument also represents the community’s overdue thanks to people like his father who survived the war and resumed their productive lives in the city.
Club Creek Park is at 9680 Club Creek Drive.