FREEDOM BRIDGE FOUNDATION TEAM UP WITH ASU. "76 MOMENTS OF FREEDOM"

09/10/08
Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – The Freedom Bridge Foundation today announced it has teamed up with Arizona State University’s nationally-acclaimed Public History Program to develop the “76 Moments of Freedom” for the Memorial Walkway.

“The Public History Program at Arizona State University is extremely excited to be part of a project which we hope will allow both residents of Lake Havasu City and visitors to explore and discuss the various dimensions of freedom in such an ideal location,” said Professor Brooks Simpson, ASU’s principal investigator for the project. “We believe the result will leave a lasting impression on anyone who comes to Lake Havasu City.”
When completed, the Memorial Walkway along the Bridgewater Channel will connect the world famous London Bridge with the planned Freedom Bridge, which is scheduled for completion as early as 2012. In addition to thousands of engraved bricks, the “76 Moments of Freedom” will tell the story of America’s ongoing pursuit of freedom.

“Selecting and interpreting these very important events in American history is no easy task,” said Brian Wedemeyer, Freedom Bridge Foundation President. “We really wanted an established authority on history to help us with this very important assignment.”

ASU’s Public History Program has worked with several state institutions over the past decade, including State Archives, AZ State Historical Society, Arizona Humanities Council, Arizona State Preservation Office, Tempe Historical Museum, Pueblo Grande Museum and others. It is currently involved with three National Park Service projects.

One of the program’s top graduate students has been assigned to the Lake Havasu City project, under the close guidance of Simpson – an internationally-known scholar and expert on Presidential administrations, the Civil War and other topics. Simpson has consulted for Civil War battlefields and the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Ill.

Professor Noel Stowe, who recently received the 2008 Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Award for outstanding achievement in preserving Arizona’s historic resources, also will be closely involved with the Memorial Walkway project.

The historical markers for the “76 Moments of Freedom” will include a brief description of each event, along with a student essay about how the event advanced America’s pursuit of freedom.

Three Lake Havasu City students recently won the honor of writing the essays for the first historical markers. The Public History Program also will help with the initial planning of a statewide essay contest to begin in a few months.

Proceeds from the sale of engraved bricks along the Memorial Walkway will benefit the Freedom Bridge enhancement project – including an upgraded bridge design, a Veterans park and other improvements. Engraved bricks are now on sale at www.havasufreedombridge.com.