The Honor Wall
Tom Purdon

As most of you know, our long awaited Honor Wall has been built and dedicated at Proctor, near the start of the Bud Gode Interpretive Nature Trail (see photo and President Jim Woodward’s lead article in this issue). At long last it has come to fruition and is a beautiful addition to the Proctor area, a fitting “gateway” to Madera Canyon.
This article will explain some of the details of the types of honor plaques found on the wall. There is a dedication plaque that has engraved logos of the U.S. Forest Service and the Friends of Madera Canyon. The dedication reads:
THIS HONOR WALL CELEBRATES THE FRIENDS OF MADERA CANYON (EST. 1987) AND THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST. WE HONOR THE WORK AND DEDICATION OF THESE VOLUNTEERS AS WELL AS THE MEMORY OF OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN MEMORIALIZED HERE BY RELATIVES BECAUSE OF THE THEIR LOVE FOR THIS SPECIAL PLACE

There are two categories of honoring plaques: In Honor Of, for honoring significant volunteerism performed by members and In Memory Of, to provide a way for loved ones and others to honor people who have regarded Madera Canyon as a special and important part of their lives.

The Board of the Friends approved a procedure for evaluation and criteria for eligibility for honoring the volunteers. The Honor wall committee with the help of most of the past presidents and our archivist Dr. Geo. West reviewed the membership rolls and records to select the first group of eligible volunteers. Another group will be eligible at the end of this year.
The In Memory OF criteria requires an application process, a letter explaining the reasons why the named individual had a significant relationship with Madera Canyon and a significant fee. The fee covers the costs of engraving. Half of the fee goes into a restricted account for the future maintenance of the wall. The other half of the fee goes into the general fund account of the Friends. The submitted letters have been placed into a Memorial Book along with the application. This book will be available for viewing at all annual meetings of the Friends and upon request by interested individuals.

There are nine individuals who have been memorialized in the first engraving. We are all very pleased with the quality and construction of this fitting tribute to honor hard working volunteers and to remember loved ones who loved Madera Canyon.  For more information about the Honor Wall contact Tom Purdon at 520-648- 7080.