March 12 salon to discuss "Faces of Valor" book honoring county's armed services veterans
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 In early 2003, Gerald Gilman, Randy Rubel and a committee undertook a monumental task. They put out a call for veterans and their families in Montgomery County to bring in pictures and service details for a collection to be titled 鈥淔aces of Valor.鈥 Those items are now displayed in the restored Montgomery County Courthouse, and a guidebook was printed, featuring 255 entries of soldiers serving from numerous eras.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 In early 2003, Gerald Gilman, Randy Rubel and a committee undertook a monumental task. They put out a call for veterans and their families in Montgomery County to bring in pictures and service details for a collection to be titled 鈥淔aces of Valor.鈥 Those items are now displayed in the restored Montgomery County Courthouse, and a guidebook was printed, featuring 255 entries of soldiers serving from numerous eras.
鈥淲e went all the way back through history to the Civil War and Mexican American War to the current conflicts of today,鈥 Gilman said. 鈥淲e were able to collect photographs and little biographies of these individuals.鈥
The success of the guidebook prompted the committee to work on a second volume of the work. They recently published that book, featuring 385 additional photos and bios from service personnel who lived in this area.
At 5 p.m. on March 12, Gilman and Rubel will discuss how the project took shape during the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts鈥 Spring Salon Series at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library鈥檚 Main Floor Meeting Room. The event is free and open to the public. The Center hosts the Salon Series once a month during the fall and spring semesters, featuring distinguished local artists and arts organizations, followed by refreshments and good conversations.
鈥淲e鈥檙e pleased to be able to honor our veterans and those who served from our community through this salon,鈥 Christopher Burawa, executive director of the center, said.
The March 12 event will include samples of photos and bios from the two-volume 鈥淔aces of Valor鈥 work.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a little talk about how we gathered the collection,鈥 Gillman said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l also share a few stories, some highlights, from the books.鈥
For some years, the committee worked with the APSU History Department, the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, various veterans鈥 archives and The Leaf Chronicle to assemble 鈥淔aces of Valor.鈥 Jostens Publishing Company of Clarksville donated the printing for this project.
For more information on the salon, contact the APSU Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at 931-221-7876.