OPINION PAGE: Garden Clubs continue star memorials
Lately on national networks, references have been made about Gold Star families. What is the history of the Blue/Gold Star Memorial?
The idea started in 1944 with two garden club members–Mrs. Lewis M. Hull, president, and Mrs. Vance Hood, roadside chairman, of the New Jersey Council of Garden Clubs. They were inspired to plant 8,000 dogwoods along US 22 to honor members of the armed services in World War II. The state legislature designated the 5.5-mile stretch of highway as the “Blue Star Drive” in January 1945. No billboards were to be allowed on the memorial stretch. The project was named for the blue star in the service flag, which hung in windows of homes and businesses to honor service men and women.
In 1947, Mrs. Frederick R. Kellogg, president of the National Garden Clubs, designed a marker to identify the highways. Clubs responded enthusiastically, with Rhode Island receiving the first endorsement. After official approval of the site, garden clubs purchased markers and planting materials. The highway departments planted and maintained the area. This was the first program undertaken by garden clubs on a national scale.
The National Garden Clubs, Inc. organization has continued the program through the years. The “Blue Star Memorial Highway” now extends more than 70,000 miles in 39 states. There are 19 “Blue Star Memorial Highways” in Alabama, totaling 3,852.85 miles. The Russellville Cultura Garden Club, of which I’m a member, has been an affiliate of the National Garden Clubs, Inc. for 73 years.
Originally, the “Blue Star Memorial Highway” began to honor World War II veterans, but it expanded its mission in 1951 to include all men and women who had served, were serving or would serve in the armed forces of the United States.
What does the blue or gold star signify? The blue star represents one family member serving in the Armed Forces. The blue star is covered or replaced with a gold star to indicate that the family member was killed or died during the war or period of hostilities.
An extension of the program was approved at the 1981 convention in Atlanta to accommodate a smaller by-way marker to be placed in areas like parks, civic and historical grounds, in addition to dedicated highways. This marker was changed at the 1994 convention in Connecticut to be more descriptive by including the words “A tribute to the Armed Forces of America.” A third marker, which was identical to the original Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker, except for the removal of the word “Highway,” which allowed the marker to be placed on the grounds of a national cemetery or Veterans Administration Centers. At the 2004 convention in St. Louis, the scope of this marker expanded to include other appropriate civic locations.
The Blue/Gold Star Memorial is a small way to honor these courageous men and women who served and died for our country, as well as their families, for their personal sacrifice.
