Sonoma veterans group seeks help in vetting names for memorial fountain

When Luann Carlomagno saw her father's name, Raymond Carlomagno, engraved on the fountain at Sonoma Veterans Memorial Park, tears came to her eyes.

"It was tears of joy at remembering how much good he did for all who knew him and pride at knowing he served our country during World War II," she said. "Every time I come to the cemetery where my parents are buried, I run my fingers over his name, smile and kiss him and my mom."

Raymond Carlomagno is one of more than 2,500 people whose names are carved on the park's large granite "Star of Honor" fountain.

To qualify for the fountain, military veterans must have lived in the Sonoma Valley for their entire lives and be either honorably discharged or killed in action.

Thirty-six more veterans are being considered for inclusion on the 2024 monument list. They include Paul D. Day, former Sonoma police chief; Robert T. Gmelin, a Legion of Merit recipient for his service in the U.S. Army; Ralph J. "Al" Maggini, a decorated U.S. Navy pilot and one of the founders of Lyon Ranch in Sonoma; Albert A. "Al" Maggini, decorated World War II pilot and Sonoma Valley philanthropist; Charles E. "Chuck" Young, former chancellor of the University of California and interim superintendent of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District.

The Sonoma Veterans Memorial Parks Association is asking the public to check out these and 30 other candidates for inclusion in the fountain (see sidebar).

"I'm already running out of time to get the list to an engraver to make a stencil with names for engraving," said Leighton Parks, vice chairman of the association.

Since 2005, the association has been compiling a list of all deceased veterans who qualify to have their names included. This is not an easy task, but the group has managed it.

"The names are gathered from life inscriptions in the Sonoma Index-Tribune newspaper and questionnaires sent in by family members and friends," Parks said. "The vetting is basically an honor system: We'd rather engrave an ineligible name than let a deserving veteran through."

He said the search for additional eligible veterans is ongoing.

"We are under no illusions about the completeness of our list and will continue to add prints as submissions come in," Parks said.

Additional names are scheduled to be engraved about a month before Memorial Day (Monday, May 27), when 800 to 1,200 people are again expected at the park for the association's program, which includes a memorial service.

"I think we have the best Memorial Day program north of the Golden Gate Bridge," Parks said. It lasts about 75 minutes, followed by a free "American Picnic" at the Veterans Memorial Building, organized by Sonoma Rotary clubs.

"What I like best is when people gather around the engraved names after the program to honor the veterans."

Jeannette Wehren attended the program last year when her husband, John Wehren, was honored.

"To see his name on the fountain for the first time on Memorial Day was exciting," she said. "It was a special time for our family as we marked the almost one-year anniversary of his death."

Debbie Drummond attended the ceremony last year when the name of her late husband, James Drummond, was engraved on the fountain.

"A park like this serves as a tribute specifically to my husband, but also to all veterans who have served their country," she said. "It provides a place for reflection, remembrance and gratitude for their bravery and sacrifice. It can also serve as a place for families, friends and residents to gather to pay tribute and honor the legacy of those who have served in the military."

This moving experience is exactly what Parks' father, Jim Parks, had in mind when he sought to create the park and its memorial fountain.

While visiting interesting sites while touring the United States in their motorhome in the 1980s, Parks and his wife Evelyn noticed that many cemeteries where military veterans were buried did not recognize them.

When Parks, who served in the Navy during World War II, returned to his Sonoma Valley home after one of those trips, he decided to create a cemetery for veterans. He decided the open space between the Mountain Cemetery and the Veterans Memorial building would be the perfect place to put it.

"He pitched his idea to the local groups of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion, and a committee was formed," says Leighton Parks. "They were informed that the city of Sonoma owned the land, and since the city owned the Mountain Cemetery, he was much more willing to work on the veterans' cemetery."

In conjunction with Sonoma County, the city set aside land to build a cemetery, but Jim Parks and his associate Robert Behrens also wanted to create a memorial to honor veterans. They began raising funds to create a black fountain engraved with the names of fallen Somalis who had served in the military from the American Revolution to the present.

Parks funded the project, which features the Star of Honor in the center. When the fountain opened in 2005, it was engraved with the names of between 1,400 and 1,600 veterans.

He died in 2012 at the age of 93, but the fountain he helped create continues to fulfill his dream.