As reported by John Barton ‘54
REQUESTING LETTERS OF SUPPORT
We have been busy through February, March, and April requesting letters of support from alumni and patriotic organizations to help ensure the longevity of the CHS Memorial Forest. As explained in recent publications, our basic objective is to have Seattle Public School (SPS) sell the development rights of the Memorial Forest to the King County Parks Department (KCPD). Under this plan, SPS would retain ownership of the property but the forest would become a part of the King County forest conservation program, and could not be developed by SPS or any future owner.
We sent requests to over 100 patriotic organizations asking for their support and we received a good response. The most significant responses were from:
- The American Legion 2 million members
- Veterans of Foreign Wars 475,000 members
- Daughters of the American Revolution 180,000 members
To our surprise, the American Legion post in Bellevue, WA sent a financial donation. And the local chapter of the DAR wants to be involved in our next ceremony at the Memorial Forest.
