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Stadium Update

The Veterans Tribute will grace the entrance to TCF Bank Stadium.

Honoring Service and Sacrifice

The new Veterans Tribute at TCF Bank Stadium honors the work and sacrifices of all veterans.

When the Gophers return to campus this fall in the new TCF Bank Stadium, the University of Minnesota will be restoring more than just the tradition of on-campus football. They’ll also be renewing their commitment to honor veterans. The new Veterans Tribute—which will consist of a wall, plaza, and flags just outside the new stadium’s entrance—links back to the old Memorial Stadium, which was named in honor of World War I veterans. “The tribute is an important tie to veterans and the Armed Forces community as well as to [the stadium’s] past,” says Karen Himle, vice president for university relations. “We want to remind students and the wider community how important veterans are to our state and to the country.”

In 2005, retired U. S. Air Force Brigadier General Dennis Schulstad (B.A. ’66), former national board president of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, led a committee commissioned by University President Bob Bruininks to plan the tribute. With the help of U officials and more than a dozen veterans groups the committee decided to expand the scope of the tribute (see sidebar). Instead

The sight of student soldiers training on campus was common in the 1940s as they marched from class to class and from barracks to mess halls. From the January 1944 Minnesota Alumnus.

of recognizing only World War I veterans, as Memorial Stadium had, the group chose to honor the efforts of all service members, past, present, and future.

For veterans such as Curt Cooper, a recently retired army officer who represented the University Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) on the tribute committee, the tribute is a nod to the nation’s history and its struggles for freedom. “As veterans, we tie ourselves to our past and to our comrades in the past. We trace our lineage and we remember,” says Cooper. “When you do tributes like this, it’s an outward sign of that remembrance of veterans, and a reminder that they won’t be forgotten.”

Architects from the Minneapolis firm Architectural Alliance designed the simple but powerful tribute. An 18-foot-tall curved wall will stretch 72 feet from the entrance, serving as a key part of the entrance gate. The brick-and-limestone wall will feature several words and phrases etched onto the stone: Duty, Honor, Country; Minnesota Veterans; and Thank You for Our Freedom.” An inscription, inspired by one from Memorial Stadium, will read, “This stadium was erected by the members and friends of the University to honor the men and women of Minnesota who serve their country.” Subtle lighting will allow passersby to read the inscription and etchings at night.

At the center of the tribute will be a 15-by-25-foot American flag. “The American

Lieutenant Kenneth Blackmer (B.S. '46) received the Air Medal for meritorious service in 1952. General Kenneth Sweany is presenting the medal in a ceremony in Korea. From the May-June 1952 Minnesota.

flag and veterans go hand in hand,” says Schulstad. “There’s a 100-foot flagpole and one of the largest—if not the largest—American flag in Minnesota.” A POW-MIA flag will fly just below the American flag, and a separate 80-foot flagpole will be used for the Minnesota flag. The limestone wall, which will be just behind the flags, will serve as the backdrop during the national anthem and other pre-game events. A steel platform on the stadium side of the wall will be used for raising the flag as well as for events throughout the year including Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and ROTC commissioning ceremonies.

Schulstad says that while the tribute will be highly visible on game days, it will also make an impact on a daily basis. “It’s in a great location, so people will see it while driving or walking by the stadium,” he says.

To create the tribute, the committee agreed to raise $450,000. After a kickoff contribution of $100,000 from the University, more than a dozen individuals stepped up to raise a total of $580,000. “We knew there were a lot of people who would be very interested in funding something like this,” says Schulstad. “We had several very generous individuals who were willing to help out.”

The extra funding will be used to pay for flags and future maintenance costs, and future upgrades may also be considered. “We want this to be more of an ongoing, living thing,” Schulstad

Air Force Brigadier General David Winn (B.A. '58) at an awards ceremony in 1974, when he was decorated for his personal heroism and inspired leadership as a senior ranking prisoner of war for four years and eight months in North Vietnam. His wife, Mary, is in the background. From the March 1975 Alumni News.

says, noting that suggestions have included using the tribute to recognize University of Minnesota alumni who received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest mark of distinction that can be bestowed upon a member of the military. Three University of Minnesota alumni have received the rare honor: Captain Richard Fleming (B.A. ’39) and Major Henry Courtney Jr. (B.A. ’39), both of whom died in World War II, and Specialist 4th Class Lee Olson (B.S. ’67), who lost his life in Vietnam.

The Veterans Tribute dedication ceremony will be held on September 11, the day before the Gophers’ first home game. Veterans and other members of the military will be invited to the event, which will likely include a flyover from a World War I–era plane and a parachute drop. On September 12, when Minnesota hosts the Air Force Academy, a range of activities will recognize veterans, including a patriotic halftime show by the University of Minnesota marching band and scoreboard greetings from University of Minnesota alumni serving in Iraq.

The tribute may have started as a way to recognize the past. But by working with other veterans to help with the tribute, it became a way for building connections in the present. And for Schulstad, the tribute is also about looking ahead. “It’s a whole new stadium,” he says, “and we’re excited to start new traditions.”
—Erin Peterson

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