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Honoring the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, national cemeteries are the final resting places for men and women who served our country with unmatched valor and dedication. Since the 1860s, these shrines to America’s heroes have offered places of peace and reflection for military families and visitors. Today, we offer the same through Patriot Plaza, the amphitheater at Sarasota National Cemetery.
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To realize the future of this sacred space and the unprecedented partnership between the National Cemetery Administration and The Patterson Foundation, we must first acknowledge our intertwined past.
1855
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Joseph Medill buys into the Chicago Tribune, helps create the Republican Party and is influential in Abraham Lincoln’s election to President in 1860.
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2012
Patriot Plaza dedication at Sarasota National Cemetery.
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2014
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Patriot Plaza groundbreaking at Sarasota National Cemetery.
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Congress authorizes President Lincoln to purchase grounds for a national cemetery, establishing the beginning of the national cemetery system as we know it today.
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The Patterson Foundation, as an endowed charitable entity, does not solicit funds.
Medill’s grandsons Col. Robert McCormick and Capt. Joseph Medill Patterson serve in the armed forces during World War I.
1914
1944 1946 1997 2007 2008
The Patterson Foundation launches its vision, including a multi-million-dollar partnership to construct Patriot Plaza, an amphitheater at Sarasota National Cemetery.
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Commitment. Courage. Legacy.
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Groundbreaking and dedication of Sarasota National Cemetery.
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Dorothy Clarke Patterson dies, and the remainder of her estate is subsequently added to The Patterson Foundation.
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Five years after James J. Patterson’s death, his widow, Dorothy Clarke Patterson, creates The Patterson Foundation.
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Medill’s grandson Capt. Joseph Medill Patterson is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Medill’s great grandson James J. Patterson graduates from West Point and is honorably discharged as a Captain in the U.S. Army.
2010
PATRIOT PLAZA
Camaraderie. Mission. Adaptability.
Several years into the partnership with the National Cemetery Administration, we continue to honor President Lincoln’s decree to care for those who have borne the battle…
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Since 2010, The Patterson Foundation has worked closely with the National Cemetery Administration on the design and construction of Patriot Plaza at Sarasota National Cemetery. This is the first time private philanthropy is partnering with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to work on an enhancement of this complexity at a national cemetery. We intend to share our vision of how public and private partnerships can create enhancements at national cemeteries that honor those who served our country.
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Patriot Plaza may be bricks and mortar, but ingrained in every inch of the space is the expertise, thoughtfulness and heart-felt spirit of each person we are proud to call a part of the Patriot Plaza team. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, along with The Patterson Foundation, its construction and art advisory groups, and architecture, construction, art and legal professionals, poured over countless hours of details and concepts to create history.
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In the months leading up to the dedication, The Patterson Foundation is working with organizations to develop partnerships that showcase a Legacy of Valor. These community programs will honor those who have served, inspire patriotism, and embrace freedom.
Teamwork. Dedication. Integrity.
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4 Size: 1.83 acres — larger than a football field Features: 1. 20,800–square–foot glass covering 2. Covered seating for up to 2,800 people 3. One 80–foot–tall stainless steel flagpole 4. Commissioned art 5. Rostrum the size of one–and–a–half tennis courts and seats a 55-piece orchestra