Atkinson family donates land for new veterans’ memorial

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    ATKINSON — Thanks to the generosity of a local family, a parcel of land next to the Atkinson town office where the veterans’ memorial is located has been donated to the local cemetery corporation.
    On Dec. 7, town and corporation officers presented the Crowell family with a plaque and two decorated Christmas wreaths in recognition of their gift. The timing of the ceremony was perfect, noted Don White, a corporation member.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    WITH GRATEFUL APPRECIATION — Don White, third from left, presents a plaque to the Crowell family in recognition of their donation of a parcel of land next to the Atkinson town office. A permanent veterans’ memorial will be built on the site. Pictured, from left, are Lillian Mayo, secretary of the Atkinson Cemetery Corporation; Mark Kinney, treasurer; White, Kent Crowell, Nancy Crowell, Kirk Crowell and Glenn Doore, corporation president.

    “On this solemn day, when our entire nation commemorates the 72nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor (when) so many brave Americans made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation, the Atkinson Cemetery Corporation is honored to accept this generous donation of land from the Crowell family,” said White during the ceremony. “This benevolent gift will enable us to create a perpetual memorial to the courageous men and women of Atkinson who served our country in times of war and peace.”
    The landowners, Kent and Nancy Crowell, had conveyed the property to their son, Kirk, who lives next to the town office. “The town approached us about the lot, and we were certainly in favor of conveying it to them. So was Kirk,” said Kent Crowell.
    But since there was a mortgage on the property, Crowell said that they needed to get approval from the bank. “There was some paperwork involved, but Bangor Savings Bank was great to work with,” he added.
The current wooden veterans’ memorial has the names of every known Atkinson veteran from the Revolutionary War to the current war on terrorism.        The latest name inscribed on the tablet is Capt. John “Jay” Brainard, who died when his helicopter crashed on May 28, 2002 in Afghanistan. The 2004 Foxcroft Academy graduate was White’s nephew, and Brainard lived with him and his wife, Nancy, for several years until he joined the military.
    But the Atkinson veterans’ memorial, which was built in the late 1970s or early 1980s, is starting to show some wear and tear.
    Thanks to the land donation, White said that the cemetery corporation will proceed with plans to build “a lasting stone monument to recognize our veterans … We look forward to the day in the near future when all of us here, along with our community and military veterans, will return to this hallowed ground to dedicate a new and everlasting memorial.”