The UNC Charlotte Veteran Services Office will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Veterans Park at 9:30 a.m., Monday, May 27.
Christopher Orr ’18 conceived Veterans Park to recognize UNC Charlotte’s historical connections to veteran students and to honor all past, present and future veterans who would attend or work at the University. UNC Charlotte was founded in 1946 as the Charlotte Center in part to provide educational opportunities to veterans who returned from World War II.
Orr, an Army veteran who completed a bachelor’s degree in geology, worked with the Dean of Students Office and Facilities Management on the project. Together, they presented a proposal to Chancellor Philip L. Dubois who approved the project and site location in late fall 2017. Veterans Park will be built adjacent to Memorial Hall (near the corner of Cameron Boulevard and University Road). Memorial Hall houses the University’s Army and Air Force ROTC programs.
Upon approval, the Dean of Students Office through the Veteran Services Office raised nearly $250,000 to build the park. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer with an anticipated completion during fall 2019 semester.
“I cannot wait for the opening of Veterans Park on campus,” said Bill Wilson, director of Veteran Services. “This park will not only serve as a monument to our veterans but as a monument to the history of UNC Charlotte and its founding principles to serve our student veterans as they enter the next mission of their lives.”
Image: A rendering of the completed Veterans Park.