The Macomb Park District paid tribute to a late commissioner and the community paid tribute the Great Emancipator in separate ceremonies during the long Independence Day weekend.
Valencia Pettigrew Courts
On Friday morning, July 3, the park district officially named the basketball courts at Patton Park in honor of Valencia Pettigrew.
“It only seems fitting to be here on the 250th birthday weekend of the United States of America because of Valencia’s service — not only to her community, her family, her church — but her service to this nation,” said Neil Armstrong, President of the Macomb Park District Board of Commissioners.
Pettigrew served four years active duty in the military and another 16 years in the reserves. She served on the park board from 2014 to 2019, including time as its president.
She passed away on Dec. 31, 2019.
Ron Pettigrew was married to Valencia for more than 20 years. He said Valencia always advocated for service before self, words that are quoted on the memorial plaque at the courts.
“If you know my wife, even though she was quiet, even though she liked to stay behind the scenes, when it came to advocating for families and children, you better get out of her way because she always advocated for people that might not have a voice to speak for themselves,” Ron said.
Ron said Valencia dedicated herself to providing more recreational opportunities for children and families.
He said it was priceless to see the courts named in Valencia’s honor. He said it demonstrates that she made a difference, something he said we can all do.
The Pettigrew family was on hand for the ceremony, including her parents who traveled from Milwaukee for the event and her children, who traveled from the Quad Cities and from the Chicago area.
Park District Executive Director Blake Severs said Valencia Pettigrew believed in the community and worked to make it better.
“Memorials like this remind us that the work we do today can have an impact beyond our own time,” Severs said.
Abraham Lincoln sculpture in downtown Macomb
24 hours later, the Macomb Area Conventions and Visitors Bureau, aka Unforgettable Forgottonia, led the dedication ceremony for a new sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. It’s located near the west steps of the McDonough County Courthouse, around the spot where Lincoln spoke in Macomb in October 1858.
Jock Hedblade, executive director of Unforgettable Forgottonia, hopes the statue reminds people that greatness is not reserved just for large cities or famous places.
“More often it’s found in communities like ours, where seemingly ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things and quietly help shape the course of history,” he said.
Hedblade said Macomb has produced remarkable Americans such as pioneering physician Dr. Ruth Tunnicliff, civil rights leader The Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian, musician Al Sears, and Lizzie Magie, who created the game that became Monopoly.
He said Lincoln also has ties to the community.
“He walked these streets, campaigned on this courthouse square, built friendships and sharpened ideas that would help preserve our union,” he said.
Hedblade said they found the mold for the statue a few years ago. He believes it’s from the 1960s or ‘70s, and he’s glad it’s an image of Lincoln without a beard.
“The fact that he doesn’t have the beard, that’s the Macomb Lincoln. That’s the guy that showed up in Macomb. He didn’t have a beard until he was the president. So that was just kind of dumb luck on our part,” Hedblade said.
He also said the right hand was missing from the mold, so they decided to do something different with it. The hand is made of bronze and designed so that people can shake hands with Lincoln.
“We wanted something that not only would be a photo op, but something people could interact with like everything else that we’ve got down here,” Hedblade said.
The rest of the statue is made of concrete reinforced with rebar. Hedblade said it was too expensive to make the entire statue out of bronze.
Lincoln portrayer Mark Rehagen of Jefferson City, Mo., participated in the ceremony.
He had never portrayed Lincoln before being cast years ago in a local production of the musical, “The Civil War.
“They thought I looked so much like Lincoln and they complimented me so much that I need to continue to do this for working with the kids in the classrooms and stuff like that,” Rehagen said.
He said it’s a way to bring history alive for students, and he has been portraying Lincoln as a hobby now for around 25 years.
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