Tucker County Veteran's Memorial Fund
TYPE OF FUND: Field of Interest
DATE ESTABLISHED: Initiated June 30, 2004 Established May 11, 2005
PURPOSE: To provide an annual grant for the maintenance and upkeep (or other needs) of the All Veterans’ Memorial located in Parsons, West Virginia.
DISTRIBUTION: Upon the recommendation by the Grants Committee and approval by the full Board of Directors of TCF.
VARIANCE POWER: If, in the judgment of the TCF Board of Directors, the restrictions and conditions of the fund become unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community, the TCF Board of Directors maintains the right to modify the terms of this fund.
FUNDING: An initial donation of $2,000 from Carmen E. Holmes of Hendricks, WV.
BACKGROUND: Carmen Holmes moved to Tucker County in August 2003. She was immediately impressed by the local veterans who had designed and were building a monument in Parsons to all county veterans.
The idea for the monument was initiated by the Concerned Citizens’ Coalition, a group of women who are known as the “cookie Ladies”, for their volunteer work making money for projects in Parsons. The monument was built at the corner of First and Main Streets in Parsons, with all volunteer labor of veterans. It was dedicated July 3, 2004.
Ms. Holmes’ next door neighbor in Hendricks was Charles Lowther, presiding officer of the recently organized Tucker county Veterans Association. Several members of her family are veterans, and she wanted to help with the monument and initiated the new fund with $2,000.
Ms. Homes was born in Virginia but lived most of her youth in California. She returned to the East working in the Washington, DC area, retiring after her last position, seven years working in the chief administrator’s office and for the National Institute of Health. Looking for a place to retire, she used an internet source to look for a home and drove into West Virginia for the first time.