Rededication Ceremony for Kemper Memorial Park

Past, present, and future merged at the rededication ceremony held in Kemper Memorial Park on May 25th. Exactly 75 years before, on May 25, 1947, the Park was officially accepted by the Mamaroneck School District as a gift from the family of Adolph Kemper, whose son, Lt. Richard Kemper, died during the Normandy Campaign in France.  

The rededication ceremony, marking the Park’s 75th anniversary, was organized to mirror the original ceremony as closely as possible, including the School District’s symbolic acceptance of the gift once again.  Mamaroneck High School {MHS} students participating in the annual Kemper Contest this year were given a quote from the original dedication ceremony and asked if those words still have meaning today.  The winning essay and poem both conveyed that they do.  

The ceremony also focused on the Park’s future.  On display were four new metal tablets that will soon be installed over the original engravings on the monument, which have deteriorated over time.  They were created to ensure that the names of the Kemper honorees will be clearly visible for at least the next 75 years. Additionally, a hard drive containing the complete history of the Park from its inception until now will be buried behind the monument. This time capsule will be unearthed on the Park’s 100th Anniversary in 2047. 

Linking generations has always been a major goal of the Kemper Memorial Park Preservation Fund. “The Rededication Ceremony was a further example of our success,” the committee notes. “As always, we are grateful for the support that enabled us to do it.”  

To view the entire ceremony, go to kempermemorialpark.org, and you can take pride in being part of a community that keeps its promise to honor those who sacrificed everything.