An effort to raise the profile of the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park with the creation of a national advisory board has started with some national prominence.
Kelly Sullivan, the granddaughter of one of the five Sullivan brothers killed in World War II, has agreed to serve as its chairwoman.
"It is a true honor, a huge honor. I view Buffalo as a second home. I can still remember my first trip here when I was 5 years old," Sullivan, the granddaughter of Albert Sullivan, said Saturday as she finished a three-day visit to the city. "Buffalo is very lucky to have this wonderful park and I want to do everything I can to help make it great."
One of the Canalside park's main attractions is the decommissioned USS The Sullivans, a WWII destroyer named in honor of the Sullivan brothers, George, Madison, Albert, Francis and Joseph.
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The brothers and 682 other crew mates aboard the USS Juneau perished in 1942 in the Pacific when a Japanese torpedo sank their ship in the Battle of the Solomon Islands. From Waterloo, Iowa, the brothers had enlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor and insisted on serving together.
Though there have been difficult times since the park opened more than four decades ago, park officials say recent years have shown it to be a major draw. There have been more than 70,000 visitors annually from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
The newly established national advisory board will focus on:
• Expanding the park's mission to educate and inspire citizens.
• Recommending and advising on strategic enhancements.
• Advocating on matters of expansion and outreach.
• Assisting in long-term fundraising efforts tapping networks of influential individuals and decision-makers.
“The purpose of the national advisory board ... will raise the profile of the park among a national audience of stakeholders," Terry McGuire, chairman of the park's board of directors, said. "These stakeholders include active and retired military leadership, elected officials, cultural and philanthropic influencers, veteran affairs advocates, defense industry and national media leaders.”
Having Kelly Sullivan as the national advisory board's chairwoman is significant, said Paul Marzello, the park's president, citing her "relationships to the military and veteran communities across the country."
