The Story of the Stoughton Area Veterans Memorial Park
From an Idea to a Lasting Tribute
The Stoughton Area Veterans Memorial Park did not begin with blueprints, monuments or a major fundraising campaign. It began with a conversation.
On July 12, 2014, Duane Broughton and Bud Erickson discussed an idea that had been talked about in the Stoughton area for several years: creating a permanent Veterans Memorial Park. Previous discussions had never developed into an actual project. This time, they decided to move forward.
What followed was an extraordinary community effort involving local veterans, American Legion Post 59, VFW Post 328, the Sons of the American Legion, area businesses, local government, community organizations and countless volunteers and donors.
Bud Erickson documented much of that early work in a detailed chronology of meetings, decisions, setbacks and milestones. His record provides a remarkable look behind the scenes at how the Stoughton Area Veterans Memorial Park went from an idea to reality.
2014 — An Idea Takes Shape
July 12 — The Beginning
Duane Broughton and Bud Erickson discussed the possibility of creating a Veterans Memorial Park and agreed that it was time to get the project started.
Just three days later, Bud met with Stoughton Mayor Donna Olson to discuss the idea. Mayor Olson was very supportive of the proposed memorial.
On July 19, the Sons of the American Legion, under the leadership of Jim Oler, held a spaghetti dinner and raised $350 in seed money for the project.
That same day, Bud met with American Legion Post 59 Commander Sonny Swangstu to begin discussing possible locations.
The project was underway.
August–September — Finding a Home and Gathering Ideas
Several potential locations were investigated during the summer of 2014.
Attention eventually focused on property owned by Oscar and Shirley Linnerud near Highway B and Country Club Road. Early conversations with the Linnerud family were encouraging.
Meanwhile, the organizers began learning from communities that had already built veterans memorials.
On September 9, Bud met with Darrel Krenz, chairman of the Veterans Memorial project at the American Legion in McFarland. The meeting provided valuable information about what would be required to turn the Stoughton idea into reality.
On September 17, Duane Broughton, Jim Oler and Bud Erickson met for two hours to begin the formal planning process.
Later that month, Bud and Jim met with Kathy Krause of Krause Monuments in Viroqua, who had worked on several veterans memorial projects.
October — Learning From Other Memorials
The small steering committee wasn't interested in simply putting up a monument. They wanted to learn what worked elsewhere—and what didn't.
On October 24, Duane, Jim and Bud traveled throughout the area visiting veterans memorials at Vermont Church, Black Earth, Muscoda, Richland Center, Viroqua, Coon Valley, Westby, Cazenovia and Reedsburg.
At each location, they discussed and recorded what they liked and disliked.
They also toured Krause Monument Company's facility in Viroqua and learned more about how communities planned and constructed veterans memorials.
Those visits helped shape the vision for Stoughton's memorial.
November — The Linnerud Property
By late October, the committee's preferred location was a parcel at Highway B and Country Club Road.
On November 5, Duane Broughton, Jim Oler, Sonny Swangstu and Bud Erickson met Oscar and Shirley Linnerud at the property. The Linneruds were enthusiastic supporters of the project.
A proposed 200-by-300-foot area was measured and marked. The Linneruds indicated that additional land could be made available if necessary and gave the group considerable freedom in developing the Veterans Memorial Park.
They had one particularly memorable requirement:
Keep the property maintained—“no weeds or thistles.”
Five days later, Duane, Sonny and Oscar staked the west and north boundaries.
Oscar's message to the group was simple:
“Go ahead; put the sign up.”
There would still be complications. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation later informed the group that considerably more right-of-way would be needed for the Highway B bypass than originally anticipated. Plans and property boundaries had to be reconsidered.
Oscar and Shirley remained committed to the project, and a revised plan was developed.
On November 19, another important boost arrived when the Vidalia Onion Committee donated $2,500 to the memorial project.
And on November 28, Sonny erected a sign on the property:
“Future Home of Veterans Memorial Park.”
For the first time, the community could see where the dream might become reality.
December 2014 — Building the Organization
On December 2, an organizational meeting drew 24 people.
Bud presented the chronology of the project to date. Sonny explained the Linneruds' plan to donate approximately two acres. Duane discussed what had been learned from visiting other veterans memorials, and Jim outlined preliminary plans for fundraising and collecting the names of area veterans.
Those attending volunteered for fundraising and veteran-name collection committees.
The project was quickly becoming much larger than the handful of people who had started it.
Choosing a Monument Company
During December, representatives from several monument companies met with the committee.
The group evaluated not simply the products each company could provide, but its experience, creativity, ability to assist with fundraising and promotion, and willingness to remain involved throughout the project.
On December 20, after completing the presentations and discussing the alternatives, the committee unanimously selected Pechmann Monuments.
The company's professionalism, staff and proximity to Stoughton were important factors in the decision.
Only four days later, discussions were already underway about some of the defining features of the future memorial: granite monuments bearing veterans' names, an eagle centerpiece, educational elements, pavers and a collection of flagpoles.
Collecting the Names
While the physical memorial was still being designed, another enormous undertaking had begun.
The committee wanted the memorial to recognize Stoughton-area veterans from throughout American history.
By December 29, Roger Kleven and other volunteers had already collected more than 2,000 veterans' names, reaching as far back as the Civil War.
Forms were developed to allow families and community members to submit additional veterans for inclusion.
This effort would eventually become one of the defining features of the Stoughton Area Veterans Memorial Park.
2015 — Turning the Vision Into a Plan
January 3 — Taking the Project Online
As the project grew, organizers realized that a strong online presence would be essential for sharing information, collecting veterans' names and keeping the community informed.
On January 3, 2015, a website meeting was held with Dean Stenjem, Duane Broughton, Bud Erickson, Roger Kleven, Jim Oler, Sonny Swangstu and Basil Sadler.
Dean had already spent many hours updating the existing website and agreed to build a new site capable of carrying the extensive information needed for the project—including a database that could eventually contain as many as 5,000 veterans' names.
Dean would handle the ongoing website updates, with Basil serving as backup.
The digital preservation of the memorial's history and veterans' records had begun alongside the physical project itself.
Designing the Memorial
Throughout January, the steering committee worked closely with Erich Pechmann on concept designs.
Different ideas were considered for the centerpiece, granite walls, educational displays and overall layout.
The committee deliberately resisted rushing the decision.
At a January 19 meeting attended by 32 people, several designs were presented. Rather than choosing immediately, members decided they needed additional time to make sure they would “get it right.”
By February 11, the steering committee reached unanimous agreement on a modified version of Design 1A.
The plan included entrance pillars, a wrought-iron archway, educational pillars, individual displays for service flags and a centerpiece honoring those killed or missing in action.
On February 16, the full Memorial Committee gave its approval to the design, with several details still to be finalized.
A Memorial With an Educational Mission
From the beginning, organizers envisioned more than a place containing veterans' names.
They wanted the park to teach future generations about service, sacrifice and American history.
Bud met with Stoughton High School history educators in January 2015, and students became involved in researching historical information and quotations that could eventually appear on the memorial's educational pillars.
The organizers also envisioned future student field trips to the park.
By June, Stoughton High School students had submitted numerous facts and quotations for consideration on the educational pillars.
The memorial was becoming not only a tribute to the past, but a place where future generations could learn from it.
Spring 2015 — Taking the Campaign to the Community
With the design taking shape, fundraising and public awareness became increasingly important.
Volunteers created newspaper inserts, brochures, paver-order forms, posters and other promotional material.
Bud Erickson and other committee members worked extensively with local newspapers and the American Legion and VFW newsletters.
One particularly creative idea involved printing placemats that could be distributed throughout Stoughton restaurants. The placemats helped publicize the project while encouraging residents to submit the names of area veterans.
One thousand were initially printed and donated to the project by Inkworks.
By April, thousands of placemats and order forms had circulated through local restaurants, the Legion, the VFW and area publications.
Volunteers also staffed information booths, made presentations to community organizations and talked directly with local businesses.
This was grassroots fundraising in the truest sense.
The Community Responds
Support began arriving from throughout the area.
Pleasant Springs pledged $5,200 toward the Wisconsin state flag.
The Linneruds agreed to cover the approximately $1,900 cost of surveying the property they were donating.
The Sons of the American Legion held a May 2 fish boil that served nearly 150 people and raised approximately $1,500.
Information booths at Pick 'n Save brought the project directly to residents.
Presentations were made to organizations including the Rotary Club, Masonic Lodge, Conservation Club and Sons of Norway.
Businesses, foundations, clubs, veterans organizations and individual residents all became part of the effort.
June 2015 — Momentum Builds
By June 15, the numbers told the story.
67 memorial pavers had been sold.
Eight of the eleven flag sponsorships had been sold.
More than $1,340 had been donated through the Pick 'n Save information booth.
And total project income had reached approximately $47,720.
Meanwhile, volunteers continued collecting and verifying thousands of veterans' names.
The fundraising team pursued businesses, foundations and community organizations. Landscaping plans were being developed. Soil testing and construction planning were moving forward.
On June 26, volunteers conducted a 50/50 raffle at Madison International Speedway in Oregon and raised more than $1,100 for the memorial.
Three days later, the Stoughton Conservation Club committed $5,200 to sponsor the Air Force flag.
On July 8, Rodger Hansen and Bud Erickson presented the project to the Sons of Norway, whose members and guests donated another $250.
Less than one year had passed since that first conversation between Duane Broughton and Bud Erickson.
What had begun as an idea was becoming a community mission.
About This History
This history is based on a detailed chronology compiled by Bud Erickson, who documented the early development of the Stoughton Area Veterans Memorial Park as it happened.
His records preserve not only major milestones, but the meetings, conversations, fundraising efforts, challenges and countless hours of volunteer work that took place behind the scenes.
The Stoughton Area Veterans Memorial Park exists because veterans, families, organizations, businesses and community members came together around a common purpose:
To ensure that the service and sacrifice of Stoughton-area veterans would always be remembered.
Bud's chronology helps preserve the story of the people who made that mission a reality.