A World War I Memorial in Kansas City Is a tribute to giving
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By John Hanc
MISSOURI---Soaring 217 feet into the skyline, the tower — originally called the Liberty Memorial and now part of the National World War I Museum and Memorial — is hard to miss. While the memorial honors this city’s residents who served in World War I — in particular, the 441 who died — it is also a tribute to local residents who, during two weeks from late October to early November 1919, raised more than $2.5 million (roughly equivalent to $34 million today) for the memorial. About 83,000 residents, more than a quarter of the city’s population at the time, donated an average $30 each (about $413 today) to the fund-raising drive, much of it done by children going door to door. [link]
By John Hanc
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| Built from 1923 to 1926, the National World War I Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., honors the conflict in which 53,000 Americans died in combat. |
