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Congressional Gold Medal.com |
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Congressional Gold Medal Recipient
Ernest Joseph King b. Lorain, Lorain, Ohio, 23 November 1878
d. Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, 25 June 1956
Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King
LORAIN -- A plaque that was supposed to be awarded to Jack LaVriha 40 years ago for his efforts to name Lorain Admiral King High School in honor of the Commander of the U.S. Fleet during World War II will finally be presented to him Friday.
That also is the day the Ohio Historical Society, the Ohio Bicentennial Commission and the Lorain city schools will dedicate a historical marker in Admiral Ernest J. King's honor at 1:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium, 2600 Ashland Ave.
Although the historical marker will be dedicated with much fanfare with representatives from the U.S. Navy present, LaVriha said he had to take the plaque off his own wall so it could formally be awarded to him.
LaVriha, 88, who was the chief journalist for the Naval Reserve Unit of Lorain in the 1960s, led the efforts to name the school in King's honor and also was strongly involved in the efforts to organize the Admiral King Booster Club.
But after a falling out over organizing the booster club, LaVriha said, the presentation of the plaque was held off. LaVriha said the plaque then sat in the safe of late jeweler, trophy and plaque engraver Bill Givner for 20 years, until 1983, when he gave it to LaVriha.
LaVriha said he met with Superintendent Dee Morgan about a month ago to bring his unawarded plaque to the school district's attention.
''I think it's apropos that the plaque will be awarded during the historical marker ceremony,'' said LaVriha, who has been the president of the Lorain Memorial Association for 53 years. ''I knew him, and he was my inspiration to join the Navy during World War II. In fact, I saw him when I was in the Navy and had lunch with him. I also saw him when he came back to Lorain a few times. He was a terrific guy,'' LaVriha said.
''I feel like the guy who deserved a medal in World War II, who is finally receiving it many years later. After it's presented to me, I'll put it right back up on the wall where I kept it.''
The plaque will be presented to LaVriha by Admiral King Principal Rob Hayden and Sanford Washington, president of the Admiral King Booster Club, school district spokesman Dean Schnurr said.
''As a district, we're excited that someone played a major role in the United States' history and in Lorain's history,'' Schnurr said. ''The primary purpose of the ceremony is to honor Admiral King with an historical marker. We're glad to be a part of that and glad that Jack LaVriha can be a part of that.''
LaVriha's plaque reads:
''For an Outstanding Individual effort in naming Admiral King High School and Booster Club: A Commendation to an Outstanding Civic Leader.''
King, who graduated from Lorain High School in 1897, oversaw both the Pacific and Atlantic fleets and was known as a ''stern taskmaster'' because the U.S. was suffering many defeats in the early part of World War II. King was credited with strengthening the fleet during a time when German submarines were near the East Coast, said John McGarvey, a volunteer at the Black River Historical Society.
King was awarded a
Congressional Gold Medal in 1946 for dedicated service and for his skills as a military strategist. He died in 1956 in the Portsmouth, N.H., Naval Hospital.
There are several photos of King on display at the Black River Historical Society's Moore House Museum, some with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Great Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Russian President Joseph Stalin.
Lorain Admiral King High School was dedicated Oct. 29, 1961, according to information at the BRHS.
''Then Lorain Mayor Harry Van Wagnen wanted to rename Lakeview Park after Admiral King, but people were against that,'' LaVriha added. ''The school board probably wanted to name the school after someone else, but who? Hey, we could've done a lot worse.''
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