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ACTOR LESLIE JORDAN, RUTH HOLMBERG INAUGURATE WALK OF HONOR
The Parks Foundation President Garnet Chapin, left, presents Ruth S. Holmberg, center, with the first Walnut Street Bridge Walk of Honor plaque honoring her grandfather, legendary newspaper publisher Adolph S. Ochs, as fellow honoree, TV and film star Leslie Jordan, applauds. Ochs and Jordan were the inaugural honorees on the Walk of Honor during a special event on The Bridge on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011. The Foundation will honor the accomplishments of other notable Chattanoogans on the Walk of Honor each month. For more information on the Walk of Honor, click here.
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ACTOR LESLIE JORDAN TO INAUGURATE WALK OF HONOR
The Walk of Honor is being established by The Parks Foundation, the nonprofit organization which promotes and helps maintain the bridge through its dedicated plaque campaign, in an effort to honor Chattanoogans of distinction and celebrities, athletes and other notables who were either born in the city, grew up here, or call Chattanooga home.
"Because we're almost at the midway point in replacing the original plaques on the bridge and adding new plaques, now is the perfect time to establish a Walk of Honor on the bridge to celebrate the contributions of the many notable individuals, businesses and organizations who are inextricably linked to Chattanooga," said Garnet Chapin, president of the foundation. "When we learned that Leslie Jordan was coming to down to visit family and friends, it created the perfect opportunity to bring attention to this new element of the bridge and the plaque campaign. We're grateful for Leslie and Ruth's time in helping us start the Walk of Honor."
The commemorative plaques will be placed on the west side of the bridge along the center span and include the individual or organization name and a smaller line above the name noting their achievements to distinguish them. While the foundation's board of directors has compiled a list of potential inductees — from celebrities to athletes, business titans and Chattanooga institutions — Chapin said he'd like to see community members and local businesses sponsor plaques to be included on the Walk of Honor.
"We're inaugurating the Walk of Honor by donating plaques for Leslie Jordan and Adolph Ochs to represent both celebrities and notable individuals who've contributed much to the rich history of Chattanooga," Chapin said. "But we'd also like to encourage individuals, groups and organizations to sponsor other plaques, much as some do with our popular regular plaques."
The foundation is midway through replacing the original plaques on the bridge, offering new plaques for a $100 donation and offering the recovered original brass plaques to their original donors. Those wishing to sponsor a plaque on the Walk of Honor in the name of a famous Chattanoogan, such as actor Samuel L. Jackson, could do so through a $100 donation and would be listed on the foundation's website as the sponsoring donor. Additionally, companies and organizations are also invited to sponsor Honor plaques for a $250 donation. The foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit entity and all donations are tax deductible.
For more information on the Walk of Honor, click here.
THE BRIDGE FEATURED ON YELLOW PAGES COVER
The Walnut Street Bridge is featured on the cover of the 2011-12 Yellow Pages. Brewer Media President Jim Brewer sponsored the cover and is a board member of The Parks Foundation. The cover photo is by Bobby Stone of Atomic Films.
DISCOUNTED STUDENT PLAQUES NOW AVAILABLE
To encourage student participation, we’re now offering discounted student plaques on The Bridge. For a $75 donation (a 25 percent discount), students and recent graduates can celebrate their graduation, school team, fraternity, group or organization with a dedicated plaque on The Bridge. To order online, click here.
THE CONDUCTOR & THE BRIDGE
Great photo of new Chattanooga Symphony Music Director and Conductor Kayoko Dan on the north end of The Bridge.
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