|
Essay contest to highlight Quincy’s
connection to ‘Kilroy Was Here’
QUINCY—During World War II, Quincy shipyard worker James Kilroy
scrawled the words “Kilroy Was Here” on the Navy ships he inspected,
launching a global catchphrase that would become a battle cry and
powerful morale booster for Allied troops on land, air and sea.
Now, as America prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of
the end of World War II, Discover Quincy, The USS Salem and
The Quincy Sun are sponsoring an essay contest to highlight
Quincy’s claim to fame as the birthplace of “Kilroy Was Here.”
The contest – the theme of which is “What ‘Kilroy Was Here’ Means to
Me” – has three age divisions: children in grades 4-7 and 8-12, as
well as an open division for adults. (See box for contest details.)
“We hope that the essay contest will spur children to learn more
about Kilroy, World War II and Quincy’s role in building ships for
the Allied war effort,” said Jennifer Logue, executive director of
Discover Quincy. “We also hope that adults will enter and share
their memories of ‘Kilroy Was Here’ and World War II, both on the
front lines and on the homefront.”
Prizes will be awarded in each age division of the contest, with
winners receiving their honors at the USS Salem’s upcoming
anniversary celebration, to be held Sunday, May 15 from noon to 4
p.m.
-- MORE --
Kilroy Essay Contest
Page 2
The essay contest is just the first in a series of events and
promotions designed to raise awareness of “Kilroy Was Here” and
Quincy’s role in launching the phrase. Logue credited Quincy
resident Kathy Hogan for suggesting last fall that the city play up
its Kilroy connection.
Since then, a committee comprised of representatives from Discover
Quincy, the USS Salem, Hogan and Quincy Public Schools
teacher Ron Adams have been meeting to plan ways in which the city
could spotlight its role in the Kilroy story..
Other events and promotions planned for the coming months include:
·
A Kilroy photo contest: Be on the lookout in
the coming weeks for a special “Kilroy Was Here” flyer in The
Quincy Sun. “We hope residents will take this flyer with them on
their travels and take a photo of Kilroy in fun, famous and
interesting locations,” said Michael Condon, director of the U.S.
Naval Shipbuilding Museum aboard the USS Salem. “We’ll do an
exhibit of collected photos and post them online at
www.whereiskilroy.com.” Prizes will also be awarded for Most
Exotic Location, Most Remote Destination and more.
·
Ship-Naming Campaign: The Kilroy committee
plans to launch a campaign to ask the Secretary of the Navy to name
a ship the USS Kilroy Was Here. “The 60th
anniversary of the end of World War II would be an appropriate time
to recognize the tremendous morale boost ‘Kilroy Was Here’ provided
to the Allied war effort,” said Logue, who noted that the USS
Salem will be printing pre-addressed postcards requesting the
name that residents can mail to Navy Secretary Gordon England.
·
Postage Stamp Campaign: Postcards are also
being printed to urge the U.S. Postmaster General to issue a “Kilroy
Was Here” stamp as part of its World War II series.
·
USS Salem Anniversary Celebration:
Kilroy will be featured at a special May 15 celebration marking both
the anniversary of the Salem’s commissioning as well as the
10th anniversary of the ship’s opening as a museum.
--
MORE --
Kilroy Was Here
Page 3
“The essay contest is really a kick-off to what we hope will be a
fun and educational campaign celebrating Quincy’s unique role in the
“Kilroy Was Here” phenomenon,” Logue said.
For more information on the essay contest or other Kilroy events,
call Jennifer Logue at (617) 657-0527 or Michael Condon at (617)
479-7900.
###
TEXT FOR CONTEST DETAILS BOX
Discover Quincy, the USS Salem and
The Quincy Sun want to know what “Kilroy Was Here” means to
you! Simply write an essay addressing the theme: “What ‘Kilroy
Was Here’ Means to Me” and mail it to:
“Kilroy Was Here” Essay Contest
c/o the USS Salem
739 Washington St.
Quincy, MA 02169
OR
email your essay to:
kilroy@uss-salem.org
Be sure to include your name, age (or grade, if student), address
and phone number
on the cover page of your essay or in your email.
Who Can Enter: Contest has three age divisions:
Students in
grades 4-7: maximum of 600 words
Students in
grades 8-12: maximum 1,200 words
Adult Division:
no word limit
You do NOT need to be a Quincy
resident to participate
Prizes: First and second prize will
be awarded in each category
First Prize:
$100 U.S. Savings Bond
Second Prize:
$50 U.S. Savings Bond
Contest winners will be
announced and prizes awarded at the
USS Salem’s
anniversary celebration on Sunday, May 15, 2005
Contest Deadline:
Entries must be postmarked by April 30, 2005
(email entries must be
received by April 30, 2005)
|
