FIVE SULLIVAN BROTHERS CONVENTION CENTER
Black Hawk County, Iowa
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"The Greatest Single Sacrifice Suffered By Any One Family In American Naval History"
- On November 11th, 1988 the Conway Civic Center was officially renamed the "Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center". The following is background on the story of the Sullivan Brothers and the reason for renaming the building.
- An overwhelming loss of live in one family occurred with the simultaneous death of the five Sullivan brothers in World War II naval action. The five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo, Iowa, lost their lives when the cruiser, U.S.S. Juneau, was sunk on November 13, 1942, off Guadalcanal during the Battle of the Solomons in the South Pacific.
- The five brothers, Albert, 19; Madison (Matt), 22; Joseph (Red), 23; Francis, 25; and George, 27; had enlisted with the provision that they would not be separated, Their joint sacrifice left the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Sullivan, with one daughter, Genevieve. As a result of this tragedy, the War Department later ruled that no two members of a family were to serve in the same military unit.
- In the Sullivan's Honor, the United States Navy launched a destroyer, U.S.S. "The Sullivans", which was christened by their mother in 1943.
- After several unsuccessful attempts through the years to memorialize the sacrifice of the Sullivans, a committee was appointed in 1963 for the purpose of planning and constructing a fitting official memorial. At that time a park was being planned in the Sullivan family neighborhood area as a result of an Urban Renewal Project. Favorable circumstances and general public sentiment influenced the design of the park to incorporate the Sullivan family homesite and location for the memorial.
- Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan voiced approval of the memorial site as holding special meaning. This is where the early life of the family was centered, where the boys grew up, played together and from where they entered the Navy during World War II. After completion, the park was named the Sullivan Brothers Memorial Park.
- The memorial consists of a pentagonal concrete dais topped with a circular polished granite base supporting the bronze shamrock insignia from the destroyer U.S.S. "The Sullivans". Each of the five facets of the memorial display a bronze plaque with the name of each of the Sullivan brothers. The exposed aggregate concrete dais is surrounded by a water filled moat in the sunken central area with a concrete platform forming the approach plaza.
- Funds for the memorial were raised by public subscription. Formal dedication of the Sullivan Brothers Park and memorial took place on September 19, 1964.
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The memorial is designated to honor the five Sullivan brothers and all of America's fighting men who die in the cause of freedom throughout the world.
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