ORIGIN OF AVVBA
On November 11, 1981, Don Pardue, Joe Harrison, Don Plunkett and Mike Turner met after work at a local restaurant, then known as Penrod’s. It was Veterans’ Day and it was going to be remembered. This was the birth of the Atlanta Vietnam Veteran’s Business Association (AVVBA).
The following year, a few more friends gathered at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant. The group was very small, but the spirit was very apparent. From there, a couple years passed and Mal Garland came up with the idea to memorialize a fellow Atlantan who had heroically perished in the Vietnam War. Garland offered to be our first official president, Walter Stroman volunteered to be our treasurer and Steve Martin, Esq. donated his services to create required legal documents to give us definition.
The memorial plaques began in 1987 at the Galleria Complex with our first guest speaker, U. S. Senator Max Cleland. The following year, Duke Doubleday single-handedly orchestrated the next ceremony with his guest speaker and former war boss, none other than Maj. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
As the membership continued to increase, the memorial services became more defined. Russ Jobson and Don Pardue supervised the 1989 event located at Peachtree Center. Over the next several years, internal volunteers emerged to help organize the plaque ceremonies, resulting in the procession of leadership responsibilities. These members included: Russ Jobson, Bill Threlkeld, Lanny Franklin, Pat Garland, Ron David, Max Torrence and Rick Lester.
Our first educational facility memorial came in 1995 at Georgia Tech, under the guidance of Jeff Colbath.
From that extremely humble beginning 28 years ago, 22 monuments have been erected throughout the greater Atlanta area. The organization has succeeded in bringing praise, peace and graceful closure to those family members who suffered the loss of these great American heroes. The pride harbored by the AVVBA mission continues to help our membership, relatives and friends of our memorial honorees and all Atlantans focus on the positive aspects that have arisen from that conflict.
1/8/08
