Johns Creek Council Member Donates To Memorial Walk

A Johns Creek City Council member will provide a major boost to the city’s Veterans Walk.

Cori Davenport will donate funds towards the walk’s entrance plaza, the Vietnam War monument and a bench at the Persian Gulf War monument, the city said in a press release.

Davenport said the plaza contribution is intended to honor her father-in-law, Marine Maj. John W. Davenport Sr., who served from 1964-1987.

The Vietnam War monument is given in honor of her father, Lt. Garnett E. Bandy Jr., a Navy pilot from 1966 to 1971, and the bench recognizes the service of a family friend, Marine Lt. Col. David Beck, a pilot and judge advocate general, who served in the Persian Gulf War from 1971 to 1991.

In all, the Memorial Walk will have 10 black granite monument plazas with matching benches dedicated to the major conflicts dating to World War I, Women in Service, POW-MIAs, and Purple Heart recipients.

“I come from a big military family,” said Davenport, whose husband, John, is a Marine. “I want to honor all the members of my family who have served in the military and everyone who fought for our country. The JCVA (Johns Creek Veterans Association) said the entrance plaza was their greatest need, and I said ‘I’ll do it. What else can I do?’ They said the Vietnam War Memorial was available. I thought of my dad and my father-in-law and said ok.”

Veterans Association President Wayne Kidd said the association was moved by Davenport’s gift.

“The Main Entrance Plaza is the face of the memorial and by sponsoring it, Cori and John Davenport stepped up big time,” Kidd said. “Cori and John have helped us out at a very critical time. Their generous contribution will hopefully inspire others to do what they can.”

The landscaped Plaza, which features an expanded patio, an extended sitting wall and a bricked, two-landing stairwell, cost $35,000. Monuments cost $13,000 each, and benches cost $2,000.

Thus far, the JCVA has commitments for eight of 10 monuments.

The Memorial Walk, located at Newtown Park, is being built and landscaped with donations. No tax money is being used. The Veterans Walk is a project of the Johns Creek Veterans Association.

The JCVA will conduct a formal dedication and flag-raising ceremony at the Johns Creek Veterans Memorial Walk entrance plaza on Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. Tours of the grounds will be available.

(Photo: Cori Davenport. Credit: city of Johns Creek)