D-Day Commemoration at Lowell Milken Center Includes Release of New Children’s Book
On June 6, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes invites all to attend special events at the Center to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.The center is located at the corner of Wall and Main Streets in downtown Fort Scott.
There will be an honorary recognition of Andrew Jackson Higgins, the man who invented the Higgins D-Day boats, which were very instrumental in the Allied victory in WWII. Events will include the 8:00 a.m. Chamber Coffee, the 3:00 p.m. presentation and discussion with special guests, Skipper Higgins and Jerry Meyer, the 4:00 p.m. wine and cheese event, and the 10:00 a.m. introduction of the Center’s fourth children’s book, What If Higgins Had Given Up?
The author of the new children’s book, Cathy Werling, will host a book reading and signing event at 10:00 a.m. All children are invited to learn the story of Andrew Jackson Higgins and be encouraged to work toward their goals without letting obstacles hold them back. Higgins never gave up in his quest to design and provide the perfect boats needed for important missions during World War II. That determination and perseverance were evident in his early life, as well, and provide powerful lessons for children today.
There will be two very special guests in attendance during the day. One is Skipper Higgins, the oldest living grandson of Andrew Higgins, who has many stories about his grandfather, whose spirit greatly influenced Skipper and his children. One of Skipper’s stories plays an important role in the story, “What If Higgins Had Given Up?” The other special guest, Jerry Meyer, conceived, designed, and completed The Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial in Columbus, Nebraska, which is the birthplace of Mr. Higgins. His knowledge of the life of Andrew Higgins contributed greatly to the details included in the children’s book.
Cathy Werling is an award-winning, retired elementary educator living in Fort Scott, Kansas. Her passion for helping students develop positive character traits and seek out worthy role models led to her part time work at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.
About the Lowell Milken Center: The Lowell Milken Center is a non-profit 501 © (3) that works with students and educators within a range of diverse academic disciplines, to develop projects focused on unsung heroes. Once their projects are finished, the student’s unsung heroes are shared in the Hall of Unsung Heroes or on the website, encouraging people all over the world to discover their individual influence and obligation to take actions that improve the lives of others. The Hall of Unsung Heroes is proudly located in Southeast Kansas and showcases some of the top projects developed in collaboration with the Center.