STERLING, VA – “No single individual, in my view, has had a greater positive impact in the past 35 years on remembrance and memorialization than Jan Scruggs and the Vietnam Memorial,” stated Jim Price, President of the ICCFA Educational Foundation. Scruggs, a returning Vietnam Veteran, conceived the idea of building the national memorial honoring 58,286 Americans who lost their lives in Vietnam on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. He launched this effort with his own money and raised 8.4 million dollars in two years. This emotionally moving and inspiring memorial has had such a significant impact on how Americans began to grieve more “openly”. Prior to erecting the Vietnam Memorial, there were no roadside memorials. Both the memorial, visited by 5.6 million annually, and the story of how it came to be are remarkable testaments to the Americans who served and to those who died in this unpopular war, and to the fact that in America, one individual’s dream, no matter how difficult, can still come true.In addition to providing this country with such a powerful memorial, Scruggs continued as President and CEO of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund until his recent retirement and raised more than 28 million dollars over the past 35 years. These funds are going to be used to build a Vietnam Educational Center on the Washington, D.C. Mall (underground next to the memorial). Since his retirement he is concentrating his efforts as a member of the Board of Advisors of another important group. Their mission is to assist in coordinating efforts to build Global War on Terror Memorial on the National Mall (gwotmemorialfoundation.org). He has served 3 presidents since 1991 and is a member of the Selective Services National Appeals Board and is current Chairman. Scruggs is also the author of “To Heal A Nation”.
The Educational Foundation’s “Lasting Impact Award” will be presented to Scruggs at a special reception on April 6, 2017 during the ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition in Nashville, TN. The Lasting Impact Award is presented annually to an individual that has made significant contributions to our profession in education and memorialization. The 2017 ICCFA Annual Convention & Expo will also feature 4 keynote speakers as well as breakout sessions that focus on issues such as management, operations, sales and more. Full program details and registration are available at www.iccfaconvention.com.
The ICCFA Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-free entity that the sole purpose of which is to provide financial assistance in order to fund students to attend the ICCFA “University” and the ICCFA Wide World of Sales Conference. Thirty-three scholarships were awarded in 2016. For additional information, please visit www.iccfa.education.
Founded in 1887, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association is the only international trade association representing all segments of the cemetery, cremation, funeral and memorialization profession. Its membership is composed of more than 9,100 rooftop locations and 20,000 professionals in the cemetery, funeral home and crematory industries, as well as supplier and related businesses worldwide.
