Submitted by Victoria on
Right on the heels of Memorial Day seems like a good time to share information about our veterans collections.
If you have ever been in the Local History Room, you have seen the central display case, which contains a portion of the George Gavaria Collection. Lillian and Bob Gavaria, residents of Harwood Heights, donated a number of documents and physical items - including medals - related to the military service of their son, George.
George Gavaria was the first resident of Harwood Heights to die in Vietnam, on December 1st, 1966. He was just two weeks short of his 22nd birthday.
The Gavaria Collection consists of a lot more than what you can see on display right now. Browse some more documents and images from this collection on our Flickr page.
The Local History Room is also home to a binder full of submissions 
from locals to our Veterans Wall, compiled annually every November - you can browse our images from this collection on Facebook, too.
Still looking for more images of area veterans? We have more albums of photos on Facebook and Flickr featuring:
- Memorial Day event, Norridge, 2010
- Veterans Day Storytime, 2010
- Veterans Day Storytime, 2011
- Veterans Day Storytime, 2012
Another nearby collection that focuses on local veterans is the Norridge Historical Society's museum. One room is dedicated to World War II and features stories about and contributions from local veterans. The Pioneer Press Norridge and Harwood Heights News featured a photo essay showcasing a number of notable pieces and people connected to this exhibit in January, 2012.
If you'd like to see any of the materials owned by the library, please ask at the Answers Desk.