Resources for the Veterans Community
Design and Fund Raising
A competition for the design of the Memorial was opened to any artist or designer residing in
California. The competition ran from October 1984 to April 1, 1985. The Commission reviewed and
judged 121 entries. The winning design by Michael Larson, a Vietnam veteran, and Thomas Chytrowski
of San Francisco, was unveiled in a ceremony attended by the Governor at the memorial site on May 20,
1985.
Fundraising Efforts
The Commission was tasked with raising $2.2 million for the construction of the Memorial. Commissioner
B.T. Collins, Vietnam veteran, and double-amputee, was named chairman of the fundraising committee.
Through a large-scale program of community outreach utilizing many volunteers - including both veteran
and non-veteran groups - the committee was able to raise more than the required amount of funding. More
than $500,000 in labor and raw materials was donated for the actual construction. The majority of funds
received came from members of the community who wanted their loved ones to be honored and remembered.
The Memorial could not have been realized without the tireless efforts of volunteers and the generous
donors and supporters who shared a common vision.
Following the construction of the Memorial, there were surplus funds remaining, which were provided by
the Commission to the California Veterans Memorial Commission and to the California Mexican American
Veterans' Memorial Beautification and Enhancement Commission.