Thank you for your service.
The Cortez Cultural Center held a memorial May 29 in honor of local military veterans. Speeches were made by former and current Bradenton mayors and a Cortez relative of a war veteran memorialized in a cultural center exhibit.
Several dozen people attended the Memorial Day event, including former Bradenton Mayor Bill Evers and current Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown.
Evers, an Army veteran who grew up in Cortez, spoke to the group about the importance of community service. He commended Brown on his public service record and pointed out that the two are cousins before inviting the recently elected mayor to the podium.
Brown, whose great-great-grandfather settled in Cortez in the late 19th century, spoke of sacrifice.
“We all look at ‘what have we sacrificed for this country?’ And we know what our military people sacrificed,” Brown said. “Some of them sacrificed their lives to make all of us free.”
“To come out here and honor all of those individuals in Cortez, our county and our country, it’s a great honor and I just want to say, ‘thank you,’” he said.
Brown wrapped up his talk by introducing the cultural center’s newest exhibit: “Cortez Native Sons and Daughters in the Military.”
The center is honoring Cortez military service members with a quarterly exhibit that includes military photographs, memorabilia and personal items.
The first honoree is Dan Taylor, who served in the U.S. Navy.
Taylor’s son, Darrell, spoke at the service, recounting his father’s life.
Dan Taylor was young enough in 1943 that he needed his mother’s signature to enlist, Darrell Taylor told the group.
He served in the U.S. Navy 1944-46, the U.S. Air Force 1950-52 and the Air Force Reserves 1953-58.
“He was a funny person. He wasn’t a loud person. He was a man of faith,” Darrell Taylor said.
“Dad would be really thrilled to know that he is in a museum; he never would have thought that there would be a place of honor for him,” he said. “And serving his country was second nature. That was not something he did for any accolades.”
Evers concluded the memorial event by recognizing veterans in attendance. The group held a moment of silence for service members who died in the line of duty, during which Palmetto-native Del Couch, a former U.S. Air Force bugler, played taps.
Following the service, attendees entered the cultural center to view the Taylor exhibit.
Kaye Bell, president of the Cortez Village Historical Society, worked with Karen Carpenter to organize the event.
“We just felt that this was something that needed to be done,” Bell said. “My father was a veteran; I feel very strongly about the men and women that go into service. They should be supported by everybody.”
Cortez Cultural Center, 11655 Cortez Road W., Cortez, opened to the public May 28 for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020.
The center will open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and admission is free.
People interested in donating or volunteering can contact Bell at 941-538-0945 or cortezbell@tampabay.rr.com.