Spokane’s Pearl Harbor families to continue annual remembrance Sunday at memorial stone outside Arena

Family and friends of Spokane’s Pearl Harbor survivors will gather Sunday to mark the 84th anniversary of the attack. This will be the sixth year without survivors in attendance, though that has not thwarted the gathering.

The ceremony will take place at the Pearl Harbor Survivors Stone outside of the Numerica Veterans Arena, followed by a smaller event at Clinkerdagger restaurant.

This day has a special history, according to author and event organizer Carol Hipperson, whose World War II-focused novels brought her to the Lilac City Chapter of survivors.

“I first met up with them in ‘02 because, at that time, I wanted to write … and I read the rough draft of every chapter to them at their monthly meetings until the book finally came out,” she recalled.

In 2013, when many of the Spokane-based survivors had already passed, the remaining members of the chapter sought a permanent physical memorial. Former mayor David Condon became involved, Hipperson said, and soon a stone was placed outside the arena.

Dec. 7, 2014, saw the dedication of the stone by the five remaining members. Ever since, this “Remember Pearl Harbor–Keep America Alert” event has occurred on the disaster’s anniversary.

In 2019, the last survivor, Ray Garland, died. The event is now fueled by other World War II veterans and survivors’ widows, children and beyond.

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Brian Newberry, former Base Commander at Fairchild Air Force Base, will address the crowd, which Hipperson anticipates will be “at least 50 or 60.”

“When we meet on this day, the purpose of the ceremony at the arena is – we stick to what the Pearl Harbor survivors wanted – which is to remember Pearl Harbor,” she said. “But when we gather together in our private luncheon, that’s when we remember them and talk about them, because we all knew them.”