'Berg to host veteran event

TIFFIN – Heidelberg University is set to host its annual Veteran Day celebration Nov. 11. The university will conduct its traditional ceremony along with the dedication of the Tangeman Veterans Memorial, according to a press release. The ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11, at the new memorial, which is adjacent to the university's campus center. Tiffin and the surrounding community are invited to the event which includes a free lunch at Hoernemann Refectory for veterans. The United Veterans Council will present the colors, followed by the singing of the National Anthem by Senior Jacob Reuter and Lift Every Voice and Sing by Senior Zaria Keys. Heidelberg President Rob Huntington will present welcoming remarks, followed by remarks from '67 'Berg alumnus Fred Wookey. Wookey and classmate Sondra Libman '67 spearheaded a project to construct the Tangeman Veterans Memorial on Heidelberg's campus in honor of their classmate, Marine Second Lieutenant James L. Tangeman. Heidelberg alumnus R. Jaimie Orr '81, a member of the University's Board of Trustees, will deliver the keynote address. Orr spent 24 years as a U.S. Navy Judge Advocate, retiring with the rank of Commander. Closing out the ceremony will be a Volley of Three by the United Veterans Council, followed by a prayer of dedication from senior Taylor Ratliff, president of CRU on Heidelberg's campus, and closing remarks by senior Michael Dalton, president of the Student Military Support Alliance. Tangeman, a 1967 Heidelberg graduate, is believed to be the only Heidelberg alumnus who died in Vietnam. Tangeman was 23 when he was killed in action in the late summer of 1968. He had received his officer's commission on the same day he graduated, June 11, 1967. During his student days at Heidelberg, Tangeman was a standout basketball player, golfer and member of the Nu Sigma Alpha fraternity. His classmates, Wookey and Libman, wanted to do something to memorialize him, in addition to the scholarship at Heidelberg that will bear his name. "They took it one step further," said Ashley Helmstetter, Associate Vice President of Advancement, Alumni, and Community Relations in a press release. "They decided on the creation of a memorial on campus to honor Tangeman all Heidelberg alumni who have served. The memorial is a perfect reminder of their service and sacrifice." Co-sponsors of this year's celebration are Heidelberg's Student Senate, the Student Military Support Alliance and Parkhurst Dining.