Wheels Are Turning! Great War Aviation Memorial Committee members...

[stephen]

An update for those of you who faithfully supported the effort to restore Frank Luke's monument in Murvaux. As you know, the mayor of Murvaux did not respond to our initial inquiry, but thanks in large part to the efforts of our own Billy Haiber and Lillian Pfluke of the American Battle Monuments Commission in Paris, we now have established contact and interest.

The mayor of Murvaux, Mr. Colin, has responded enthusiastically that a worldwide group such as ours would express interest in his town. He said that he had not planned on responding until he'd secured a price quote on the plaque restoration, hence his silence. Billy and I are both looking into stateside prices on the plaque (which will likely be bronze), while Lil is helping us find quotes from a French firm which is available to us at a 12% discount (TVA taxes) if I ask the ABMC to do the actual contracting. Prior to Lil's hiring a few months ago, the ABMC had no staff for privately funded monuments like Luke's, hence, they were not actively interested in helping us. But Lil has taken over private monuments and has received our interest with sincerity and enthusiasm. I met with her in Paris last week and we accomplished quite a bit. We discussed many things, including what type of plaque to mount, the exact wording, what type of security mounting is available and the possibility of future
vandalism at the Murvaux site, etc. This afternoon (Weds 2/2), Lil has told me that Superintendant of the Meuse Argonne American cemetery, Mr. Phil Rivers, in response to our urging and her efforts, will meet with Mayor Colin to express official US interest on behalf of the Great War Aviation Memorial Committee. He will ask for a firm committment to getting then new plaque in place and an estimate and availability information on local artisans to do the mounting.

I have told many of you several times that I am NOT ready to collect any money for the effort until we have firm contacts in place and a specific committment to get the job done. NOW, I'm telling you that I will SOON be collecting all available funds from donors. I anticipate starting the fund sometime in the next couple of months in response to specific pricing information which I hope to receive soon, have the plaque made and shipped by mid-summer, and have it in place by fall. I have a full time job and a real life, and have no intent of starting a tax-exempt, escrow bank fund complete with a staff of attorneys. I'm going to collect the money and hold it myself and publicly post the totals frequently. Those who do not trust me should not donate. I have to keep this small and manageable, and most of you know me by now anyway. I intend to return to France to see, in person, that the plaque IS PUT UP, and put up properly, and to ask the French family who's house sits on the same property to keep in touch with me regarding upkeep. We want them on our side... good friends to have. An occasional care package or Christmas gift might go a long way toward the care of the monument. If there are any extra funds available, I will ask permission of the majority of donors to use extra funds to help cover a portion of my costs to return to France and confirm/oversee the restoration. I've already soaked up 1 overseas trip and a pile of long
distance calls and postal costs... the magic fountain is running low. If donors don't approve or funds aren't sufficient, I'll go at my own expense as soon as I can afford the trip again.

GWAMC members have already chosen last year to put up a plaque identical to the original in both
French and English. Lil has suggested that we put the names of the Great War Aviation Memorial
Committee and the individual donors on the plaque as well. As we've already discussed, recognition
has never been our goal - only the plaque restoration. What do you guys think? Would adding names spoil the purity of the cause, or is it expected? There may also be some benefit in future generations who want to (again) restore the monument, to know where it came from and have the potential to contact any of us. Please post your opinions here.

I will be in contact with the ABMC again later today and pass along any additional information. Persistence seems to be paying off.

[leo]

I would be pleased to be able to contribute to this cause.

leo

Stephen,

I am still standing by to pay you money hehe. My old email address is out of order so you can contact me at the one listed here.

I say keep the committee members names off the plaque except for maybe you, Billy H. and Lillian Pfluke.

Regards,

MDD

[Vic_Mouton]

Great stuff!
I say keep to the original wording. Maybe one could add a page with the names to this website and just put the URL on the plauge. Just a thought.

VBR
Vic

[Reinout]

Stephen,

Vic's idea is pretty good, though it must be remembered that a URL is more likely to change over the course of years than the memorial plaque (barring any unforeseen vandalism).

If our names were to be installed at the memorial, I would suggest a seperate board telling the visitors who the GWAMC were/are and if there's room for 200 names, well...

But the important part is that the memorial is repaired, not how we can get some personal glory out of it. And I also wouldn't mind if you used any extra funds to cover some of your costs. You're welcome to that after your troubles.

Kind regards,

Reinout

Thank you for all your efforsts and thanks to Mr. Haiber and Mr. Pfluke.

I am a grand nephew of Frank Luke, Jr. raised by his brother Bill Luke of Phoenix, AZ.

I will try again to offer my assistance in two ways. I have working relationship with a company that does metal plaques and the like. If given the specifications and the like, my experience and knowledge can save money.

As for money, I am willing to donate as well as go and see it placed. Let's say a life long dream of mine since the age of 7. As for Mrs. Bill Luke, she is not interested in donating funds. I have not checked with my aunts or uncles
as to their financial interest but guess it would be minimal. I will put out the hand and see what can be donated.

Again, I am personally interested in helping in this manner and gladly do it with no recgonition on my part. The only thing is someone to respond
with an ok and this is how.
millsml@aol.com

Muchas gracias, Steve, for your Parisian efforts to move that plaque back onto the original pins...There is no need to go through all that legal stuff: all you need is the escrow account in the name of fund, so that you have a discrete account to keep the donations separate; and an address, or PO Box for folks to send donations to...I am going to send a copy of your thread to the Colonel Dupre of the First Fighter Wing at Langley to see if the Wing (and the 27th Fighter Squadron) would like to participate in this event; and to John Park Luke, Frank's nephew in Phoenix to get family participation...Randall Kuenzi, an American crew chief in England is trying to get permission to name his jet: The Spirit of Frank Luke, and to try for a flyover Murvaux, when the time comes...I recall that the memorial was located at the entrance to the town, on the right hand side of the road, and that the inscription said that Frank landed about 700 yards from the plaque, by the Milly creek, in a meadow, beyond the church...My feelings are that the plaque should simply read that the memorial was provided by the family, friends, and the good people of Murvaux. We could also provide the mayor with a small brochure on the circumstances surrounding the events of 29 September...Jim Streckfus, who is the prez of the League of WWI Historians is going to have a review of September Rampage in the Over the Front (OTF) in the next issue and he is going to mention our efforts, and solicit donations. As mentioned previously this fund should not extinguish itself with the restoration of this one memorial, but that the surplus funds should be used to fund Forum research projects, or restore a plane or two. I say this- because I will continue to donate one dollar from the sale of Rampage toward this end. Sales are beginning to ramp up via amazon and barnesandnoble and we could see $10K go into the fund, within two years (if we have the same luck that Wayne had with "Barker VC".)..We also had two Hollywood producers buy the book, one for a movie; the other for a TV documentary. We stand to be technical advisors for both projects, when they get contracts to produce...and we'll get promos for the book...Steve: you did not report about Sidi Bel Abbes and Fort Zinderneuf....Regards and best wishes to all. Billy H.02/04/2000.

Stephen,

Do you have any idea at all how much money might be required per member? I'm a student and have a couple of hundred dollars worth of text books coming up.

I'd love to make a donation though. Leave the names off I say - except for the GWAMC and maybe you three as mentioned before.

Regards,

Simon

MD: My sentiments are that the signoff on the memorial should be simply: Family. friends, the good people of Murvaux, and members of the First Fighter Wing...VBR/EOM.02/04/2000.

Vic: Let's not computerize the plaque and make propaganda for the forum. We should do that in a small brochure, for the mayor to give out to tourists and visitors. Billy H.