Harry McCawley died Sept. 28, but he will be with us in spirit today.
He’ll be present with about 2,000 others expected to attend the annual Salute concert this evening, a rendition of patriotic songs by the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic to honor those in the armed forces who lost their lives while serving the United States.
The concert is 7 p.m. on the lawn next to the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans, just south of the county Courthouse near second and Jackson streets.
McCawley, the longtime Republic columnist and county historian, will be present in spirit because he was the driving force in the creation of both the patriotic concert and the memorial.
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The cause and memory of veterans was near and dear to his heart. McCawley served in the Kentucky and Indiana Army National Guards from 1962 to 1968. The death of his brother in World War II sparked McCawley’s involvement in the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans project.
McCawley served on the committee that developed the concept, raised money and oversaw construction of the memorial, which was completed in 1997. He chose and edited excerpts of letters that appear on its columns, and was on a committee that helped select names of those who met requirements to be listed.
The free Memorial Day weekend Salute concert launched in 2000 after he pitched to the idea to Alice Curry and David Bowden of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic.
McCawley also got The Republic’s annual special section in honor of veterans, also named Salute, up and running in 2007, and played a key role in its publication for years afterward. The most recent edition published Thursday.
Veterans meant a lot to McCawley, and he meant a lot to them. To honor that connection, a special tribute will be performed in his honor.
The man many knew simply as Harry is gone but not forgotten. And because of his efforts, many others from the community who served the country are not forgotten either.
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