After his election in May 1990, Mayor Charles T. Doyle made it his highest priority to create a fitting tribute to the heroes of the 1947 Texas City Disaster and U.S. servicemen from Texas City. Memorial Cemetery had declined, though it still held important historic features from civic organizations, including the angel statue, entrance gate, and grave markers. Doyle worked with architect Joseph Allen Hoover and City Engineer James McWhorter to plan the facility, and the city discovered it owned another acre beside the cemetery that was low and needed fill. Because the Texas City Disaster was known around the world and drew strong public interest, the city proposed using hotel and motel tax funds to build Memorial Park as a place to inform visitors and honor those who gave their lives in service to fellow citizens and the nation. The City Commission approved the plan, and Doyle worked with Hoover on the design and selection of quotations for walkways, with librarian Susie Moncla on historical event photographs and the names of individuals and families to be included, and with George Fuller on the Wall of Memories, which served both as a memorial for families and friends and as a fundraiser for park amenities. Public Works Department employees built Memorial Park with love and devotion for their fellow citizens. The cemetery portion was dedicated on June 22, 1991, the anniversary of the original 1947 funeral service for the unidentified victims killed in the explosion, and that section became their final resting place. The entire park was dedicated on September 28, 1991, with speakers including former Mayor J. C. Trahan, who had been mayor at the time of the explosion, and Rev. F. M. Johnson, one of the ministers who conducted the June 22, 1947 funeral service.

Photo: James Hulse

Photo: James Hulse

Texas City, Texas · USA