One equals two: Couple pledges $10,000 match for Veterans Memorial
Don and Lois Thorson have pledged to match up to $10,000 in community donations to the Newcastle Veterans Memorial, giving the project an opportunity to raise $20,000.
The memorial group is asking residents to contribute $10,000 to unlock the Thorsons’ full pledge. Under the match, a $25 donation would bring in $50 for the project, while a $100 donation would bring in $200.
Don Thorson said he and his wife see the matching gift as another way to help the community.
“I’ve done this with a lot of other organizations that I’m involved with. Hopefully it’s an incentive for other people to donate,” he said.
Thorson, a veteran, volunteered for the draft and served with the Army Engineers in 1956 and 1957 after completing basic training at Fort Carson, Colorado.
“I served one year in Iran in surveying,” he said. “I was lucky I had a choice assignment and served with a very good group.”
Thorson said he hopes people recognize the importance of community projects. Upton has a veterans memorial, he said, and although a memorial is on the Weston County Courthouse, the planned Newcastle memorial will be more visible to the public.
He credited his ability to donate generously to the community to his parents and their family business interests.
“I thank my parents. My dad was a North Dakota farm boy and my mother was a stenographer from Colorado,” he said. “My dad brought her out to the oil fields to live and it was pretty primitive, but that’s how it was for everyone living there.”
The planned memorial is intended to be a lasting place to honor local men and women who have served in the military, according to the group.
Duke and Deanne Ottema, who are involved with the Newcastle Veterans Memorial, said the effort to build it has taken eight years. They thanked the Thorsons for their matching pledge and community members and businesses for donations of labor and money.
“In about three weeks, work will begin on the three pillars. The middle pillar is about 45 feet tall and the other two are 35 to 40 feet,” Duke Ottema said. “It is exciting to see this coming together and how wonderful the support has been.”
Donations may be dropped off at the front counter of Sagebrush Marketing, 121 W. Main St. in Newcastle. Checks should be made payable to Newcastle Veterans Memorial. Donations also may be mailed to Newcastle Wyoming Veterans Memorial, P.O. Box 842, Newcastle, WY 82701.
The group said it plans to share updates as it works toward the $10,000 community fund-raising goal.