The AVMP Committee
Lamar Paris, Union County Sole Commissioner
Lamar is the AVMP county liaison, and has been instrumental in the county's donation of the parcel of land at Meeks Park, as well as helping local veterans and families enjoy the beauty of the park once it is completed. Lamar has been a huge supporter of veteran's causes in Union county and we are glad to have him on the team!
Edwin Crenshaw, Chairman
Ed is the chairman of the committee to build the park and is also the Commander of the Navy Seabees Island X-3 in Blairsville, Georgia, and is the previous Commander of the VFW Post 7394. Ed is also the organizer of the annual Military Ball held every March at the Ridges Resort in Hiawassee, Georgia, and works tirelessly for veterans everywhere.
Mike Streckert, Chief Architect
Mike is the designer of the park and is a retired registered architect with over 35 years of experience. He practiced in TX, TN, SC and VA before retiring in 2019. He also served in the Active Duty Navy, Army National Guard (LA) and Reserve Navy, retiring in 2018 with the rank of Commander in the Civil Engineer Corps after 22 years of total service.
Jim Reed, Treasurer
Jim is currently the Sr. Vice Commander for the American Legion Post 121 in Blairsville, GA. He also serves as the President of the Veterans Commanders Group, representing Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) throughout Union County, GA. Jim was with the 1st Recon Battalion in the United States Marine Corp from 1972-1974. He believes supporting veterans and their families should be a priority for all Americans. He is responsible for heading up the financial aspects of the park.
Keith Hunter, Construction Manager
Keith Hunter, is a retired US Navy Seabee and Iraq war veteran. He is a life member of VFW, Navy Seabee Veterans of America, Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association and NMCB-14 Alumni Association.
Dan Wickersham, Secretary
Dan Wickersham is a retired Lieutenant Colonel US Army Officer with over 30 years of Active and Active Reserve duty;His civilian background includes the position of President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Kastle Security. He was the founder and President/COO of Worldport Communications and GlobalNet International, both publicly traded companies. In recent years he was a senior level consultant to major organizations in Washington, DC, Baton Rouge, LA, and Houston, TX where he developed commercial and government sales teams. Dan Wickersham holds a Bachelor of Science Degree, MBA in Engineering Management, and an MS in Military Science.
Chuck Honaker, Public Affairs
Chuck is a Purple Heart recipient and serves as the Commander of VFW Post 7394, in Blairsville. He is instrumental in not only sharing the vision of the park, but also has presented the details of the park to raise funds from local VSO's. Chuck was born and raised in Union County and has always been very active with VSO's throughout Appalachia and is a pillar of the community.
Derek Nagel, Media Director
Derek has a passion for helping veterans although he isn't one himself. Derek is the previous owner of The Cove on Lake Nottley, and is currently the owner of Blairsville Web Design LLC and webmaster for this website. He is responsible for all media and marketing, as well as procuring local donations. Derek also serves as President of the Navy Seabee Veterans Support Alliance. If you have any questions about this website or wish to inquire about a site, please email him at derek@appalachianveteransmemorialpark.org.
Rob Mawyer, Project Fundraiser
Rob is instrumental in several functions for this project, but his main purpose is to procure corporate and government donations to make the AVMP a reality. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the project, and is the other member who has tremendous passion to help veterans despite never having served in the military.
Richard Hoibraten, Gov. Liason
Richard serves as the Chaplain for the Navy Seabees
Island X-3, and is also very active in the American
Legion Post 121 and the VFW Post 7394. He has greatly helped with bettering the community through church and the organizations of which he serves. Richard works directly with Lamar Paris's office to insure that the AVMP project followsall county guidelines and keep Lamar's office up to date as the project progresses.
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