July 10, 1986 — While millions of citizens were paying homage to Lady Liberty a couple hundred miles away, state dignitaries and a gathering of about 350 on Thursday offered a similar tribute to Shenandoah National Park.
Gov. Gerald Baliles and former Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr. were the keynote speakers at Big Meadows in the ceremony commemorating the Park’s 50th anniversary of it dedication.
Other dignitaries present were Seventh District Rep. D. French Slaughter and Sixth District Rep. James R. Olin. James W. Coleman Jr., director of the Mid-Atlantic Region for the National Park Service, former Park Superintendent Robert R. Jacobsen and Darwin Lambert, historian and first Park employee, also were platform guests.
~ From the public archives of the Page News and Courier
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