World War I, St. Louis Veterans, Court of Honor

World War I, St. Louis Veterans, Court of Honor. . , During World War I, Blue Stars were hung in the windows of homes where a member of the family was serving in the armed forces. If an individual died in the war, the Blue Star was covered with a Gold Star signifying the sacrifice of one's life for their country. Around the country, groups of mothers who lost their children in the war emerged to show support for each other and for soldiers who returned from the war. In St. Louis, the "Gold Star Mothers” was led by Mrs. Frank de Garmo who also led the National Society of 1917 World War Registrars. , After the war, the St. Louis Gold Star Mothers and the National Society of 1917 World War Registrars organized an effort to honor their sons and daughters who died in service by promoting the building of the Gold Star Court of Honor. To that end, in cooperation with the parks department of the City of St. Louis, "Memory” trees were planted in the grassy medians of Kingshighway Boulevard beginning at Easton Avenue (now Martin Luther King Drive) on Arbor Day 1923. Later, eight-inch round bronze plaques were cast for each St. Louisian who perished in the World War. The design contained a large star inscribed with the name, rank, outfit, cause of death, and branch of service of the person being memorialized. Beginning in 1926, a total of 1,185 plaques were placed flush with the ground in front of the memorial trees and at other locations along Kingshighway as far as Florissant Avenue. Concurrently this section of Kingshighway was renamed Kingshighway Memorial Boulevard. , This landscaped traffic corridor composed of grass medians, trees and medallions and a flagpole survived from the 1920's until the 1960's when construction of the Mark Twain Expressway required the removal of the medians in the vicinity of Bircher Boulevard. At this time the city removed and stored more than 100 plaques. In the 1980's additional changes along Kingshighway threatened the remaining plaques. Members of the Rollo-Calcaterra American Legion Post 15 organized their ranks and collected plaques that were still in the medians. Of the original 1,185 plaques, 752 were saved, restored and are incorporated into this memorial. ,

"Some deeds must not die, some names must not wither" , Motto of the National Society of 1917 World War Registrars