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Memorial Park’s 75th Anniversary Celebration & Re-dedication
June 4 @ 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
1:30pm Start
2:00pm Ceremony
In celebration of Memorial Park’s 75th Anniversary, the Omaha Parks Foundation in cooperation with the City of Omaha plan to bring the statue “Embracing Peace” to the park from May-November 2023.
About Memorial Park
Memorial Park was the brainchild of Mrs. Lu N. Broad who engaged community leaders such as Henry Doorly, Robert Storz, and Leo A. Daly to help secure the 65-acre tract of land to become the site of a permanent tribute for the men and women who serve our country in the U.S. Military. On June 5th, 1948, President Harry S. Truman came to Omaha and formally dedicated the World War II Memorial Park.
About The Sculpture
This sculpture, “Embracing Peace” by famous artist Seward Johnson, resembles the iconic photograph of sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square on VJ Day. Seward created the piece to pay homage to the veterans of World War II. This artwork honors the memory of the past, reminding us of the sacrifice of a nation, and awakens a younger generation to a turning point in our nation’s history. Seward Johnson has stated, “I wanted to evoke a time of unity, a time without the divisiveness of today. The moment captured in the work encapsulates the spirit of having fought a successful campaign defending human rights, our shared values and that celebrates peace.” Seward Johnson served for 4 years in the US Navy during the Korean War, aboard the USS Gloucester (PF-22). This experience was an inflection point in his life that instilled the ideas of collaboration and working as a unified community. There will be many events throughout the exhibition of this work to gather, to create, to honor, and to celebrate as a community.
