Pelco News Release - November 29, 2001

For Immediate Release

1:00 P.M. PST, November 29, 2001
For Further Information Contact: Lane Fye, Media Relations Director, (559) 348-4536

California Memorial Dedication to Honor Fallen New York Heroes
Clovis, CA - More than 1,150 New York firefighters and police officers will be guests of honor at the December 8th Dedication Ceremony of a striking California Memorial to the victims of September 11th. Many of the New York City Firefighters, NYPD Officers, and Port Authority Police Officers attending had direct, personal involvement with the recent disaster. They will be arriving at Fresno/Yosemite International Airport Friday afternoon, December 7th, aboard five chartered airliners with special FAA designations of Hero One, Two, Three, Four, and Five. Upon arrival, they will be officially welcomed by Honor Guards from local area law enforcement and fire protection agencies before being treated to a BBQ hosted by the Clovis Police and Fire Departments that evening.

The public is invited to attend the very elaborate Dedication Ceremony to be held at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, December 8th at the Pelco corporate campus in Clovis. The ceremony will include comforting messages from appropriate dignitaries including U.S. Air Force General Chuck Yeager (Ret.), California Secretary of State Bill Jones, Congressman George Radanovich, the FDNY Chaplain, and others. There will be inspiring musical performances by the New York Fire Department Drum and Fife Corp (bagpipes), Barry McGuire - the original artist of “This Land is Your Land,” a three hundred piece marching band, and other top level musical talent. Fresno Mayor Alan Autry will be the Master of Ceremonies. Expected attendees include several thousand uniformed police officers and firefighters from throughout California in addition to a public audience estimated to be in the tens of thousands. The entire ceremony will be broadcast live and uninterrupted by ABC Channel 30 (Fresno) and fed live to ABC New York via satellite.

The Memorial itself is a large red, white, and blue flower garden surrounding an aggregate walkway, granite monument with bronze plaque, and a stunning one hundred foot tall stainless steel flagpole. The inaugural raising of the huge American Flag will occur during the Dedication Ceremony by the very same New York Firefighters depicted in the now famous photo from “Ground Zero.”

When asked about Pelco’s funding of the Memorial and Dedication Ceremony, company CEO David L. McDonald stated, “Our prosperity is due entirely to this great nation in which we are so fortunate to live. This is our way of returning a portion of that success as a gift to our country, to New York City, and to our guests of honor who have suffered so much. It seems the least we should do. I hope we can give them a proper California welcome and great turnout on the 8th to show these true American heroes the solidarity we feel with them from coast to coast.” Mr. McDonald will be hosting the New York guests as well as local police and fire personnel at a private gathering Saturday evening at his foothill home, Eaglecrest. The New York contingent will be returning home Sunday morning with an assortment of gifts presented at the airport and memories that will last a lifetime.