The Sunday Chieftain n www.chieftain.com
Sunday, November 7, 2010
METRO AND THE REGION
Value added
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Center for American Values will preserve, offer study of valor and notable lives. ______________________________________________
By GAYLE PEREZ
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
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As Puebloans prepare to honor and recognize military veterans this week, the city will welcome a new center that promotes American ideals and values. The Center for American Values, at 101 South Main St. on the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo, will host a grand opening and ribboncutting ceremony on Saturday. The nonprofit center is scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the
CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/CHRIS McLEAN
The Center for American Values is the vision of retired dentist Adolph ‘Rudy’ Padula (left). Medal of Honor recipient Drew Dix (right) is among those whose lives will be featured in the center that an official says likely will become a Pueblo tourist destination.
ribbon-cutting by officials of the Greater Pueblo and Latino chambers of commerce scheduled at 11 a.m. “In my opinion, there is no better place for this center than Pueblo, Colorado,” said Tom Allee, director of the center. “This ties in with Pueblo being the Home of Heroes, but the
CENTER / from page 1B Located in the remodeled historic Waterfront building, the nonpolitical center is the vision of local retired dentist Adolph “Rudy” Padula. It features displays, meeting rooms, a digital library and high-tech, interactive studies for students. Portraits of Valor, a collection of 142 pictures of Medal of Honor recipients, was created by noted artist Nick Del Calzo. Pueblo Medal of Honor recipient Drew Dix assisted with the development of the center. The center will be the site of training seminars, ceremonial activities, leadership sessions, public tours and more. The main room will have three
center is not strictly military at all. It’s about American values and it reaches a wide span.” The center’s mission is to honor the extreme sacrifices made to help sustain American values and to ensure those actions are preserved forever. _________________________________________________
SEE CENTER, 7B
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large-screen television sets for meetings and conferences, Allee said. It will have the technological capability to broadcast from the facility to the nation. And it will be studentfriendly, with a curriculum on honor, integrity and patriotism. There also will be iPads available for use at the center by student groups. Allee said the students will be able to view a certain Medal of Honor recipient’s portrait and use the iPad to read about the individual’s citation. A digital library will house the American Values Narrative project, a collection of oral histories. “It’s so important to
record for future generations the oral histories, so that people will know how important these actions were,” Allee said. Allee said the oral histories could range from someone who is successful in business or has overcome a hardship to those who have returned from war in Afghanistan or Iraq and is getting on with their life.” “This center I think will benefit the community and the nation,” Allee said. “It is going to add to what Pueblo already has with the Medal of Honor memorial, Veterans Bridge and the Pete Lemon Garden.” “If properly promoted, Pueblo can be a significant tourist spot.” gperez@chieftain.com
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