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On Labor Day, September 4 2000 the Galesburg
Railroad Museum dedicated a memorial to all
railroad workers killed in the line of duty. The
ceremony started at 3:30 p.m. in Colton Park and
was attended by over 200 people.
Doug Traff, a 4th generation railroader,
designed and helped finance the monument. The
concrete base that rises three feet above ground
level was constructed and donated by Lufkin
Construction Co. Sitting on top of the concrete
base is a six feet, six inches tall black granite
obelisk. The stone was given to the museum at cost
to Lacky and Sons Monuments.
Invocation given by Rev.
Constsant R. Johnson:
Our Heavenly Father, we come before you as
people to whom the railroad is a part of daily
life. We watch the commerce of the world parade
before us as we wait at crossings. We boast to
people who live elsewhere that we have passenger
service, six trains a day each day. We remember the
great adventure of spanning our country with rails,
across prairies, rivers and mountains from sea to
shining sea. We recall that the people who built
came across the seas and worked with great peril.
Most of all today we think of those known to us,
fathers, grandfathers, brothers and others felled
by the dangers of their work. Their devotion lives
on. Comfort those with memories of loss. Let us
remember that we are all travelling through, bound
for an eternal destination. Protect all who work
today. We thank you that your love enfolds us in
life or death, in all circumstances of life. Help
us to live in gratitude for the good gifts we enjoy
today. Amen.
Speech given by Doug
Traff:
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, welcome to
the Galesburg Railroad Museum's monument
dedication. (My name is Doug Traff.) I am a
locomotive engineer for the Burlington Northern
Santa Fe Railway here in Galesburg. In addition, I
serve on the board of representatives for the
Galesburg Railroad Museum. And I have taught the
history of railroading at Carl Sandburg College for
the past 4 years.
As a 4th generation railroader, my heritage is
rich from the prosperous growth from within the
railroad industry. Over the past century and a half
the railroad has helped shape and build Galesburg
into what it has become today. However, along with
prosperity have come many tragic loses resulting
from railroad fatalities. These fatalities have
occurred in every facet of the railroading
industry. They include both labor and
management.
The idea for this monument originated one day
while I was grieving the recent loss of both my
parents. While I miss them tremendously, I began
thinking about the fact that while I had been
blessed with their presence throughout their
natural lives, there were those less fortunate. My
thoughts turned to a couple of friends who had lost
their fathers in a train accident nearly 40 years
ago.
After thinking of those less fortunate, my
feelings of grief soon changed to a feeling of
compassion. This led to the idea of creating a
monument that would symbolize the memory of our
lost comrades and show community support to the
families of those lost in the line of duty. After
approaching the museum board members, they soon
accepted the idea and it has grown into the reality
that we present here today.
It was decided to omit individual names from the
monument, because all of the information is not
available. With plans for a new building, it is my
hope that we will acquire the necessary
resources.
I would like to thank the City of Galesburg, the
BNSF Foundation, and the Galesburg Railroad Museum
for their cooperation and support in making this
dream a reality.
I would like to thank Lufkin Construction,
Lackey Monuments and MSI for their work and
generosity in constructing this monument. I would
like to thank Carl Sandburg College for initiating
my interest in railroad history by giving me the
opportunity to teach. A special thanks goes to Jim
Clayton for picking up when I ran low of steam.
Mostly, I would like to thank my family for
their support and inspiration throughout this
project.
On behalf of everyone involved, I would like to
thank you for attending this dedication today.
THANK YOU !!!!
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