The Richard A. Janigian Memorial
One of the highlights of our Lodge is the Richard A. Janigian Memorial. On September 21, 1967, 10 days before Richard was to rotate out of Vietnam, he was killed. The family was devastated and as time went by, they began to think about a memorial tribute for him and all the other sons in the State of Oregon that sacrificed their lives in Vietnam. The family began searching for a place and, since in those times the controversy about the war was intense all over, they could not get approval to construct one in a city park. So the father, Buck, a long time Beaverton Elk member, approached the Beaverton Elks and they were very supportive and anxious to commit to such a memorial.
Many Elk members did so much in helping to get the project done. There were volunteers that did the architectural drawings, solicited other state Lodges for financial help for materials, etc. Members from Beaverton donated materials and most of all the members did all the physical labor in the building of this memorial. It was completed in May, 1968 and our then Governor, Tom McCall, dedicated the memorial with an official unveiling in June, 1968. It was an impressive ceremony. On the sides of the Memorial there is a 1 inch by 8 inch brass plate for each Oregon serviceman lost in Vietnam. Name, rank, branch of service and hometown are inscribed on each. We are very proud to be the first memorial erected in the nation that covers an entire state.
To learn more about Richard A. Janigian, visit his online Memorial at www.VirtualWall.org.