Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds John C. Ackerman was joined by Pekin Mayor Mary Burress, and East Peoria Mayor John Kahl for a Press Conference on Wednesday, May 29th at the Visitor Entrance to Pekin High School, to recognize the amazing work of the students and faculty of Pekin High School for this years “Honoring The Veterans Of Tazewell County” (https://pchs.my.canva.site/honoring-veterans-of-tazewell-county).

They were joined by the students and faculty that worked on this project. The project consisted of a visual display of an American Flag made out of the photographic hands of the Veterans the students interviewed for this project and featuring the images of the Tazewell County Veterans the students interviewed and the three Tazewell County Medal of Honor Recipients. Displayed with the American Flag Visual Display is a QR Code that will lead the viewer to the website established by the students of Pekin High School. Here the viewer will find the biographies and photos of Tazewell County’s three Medal of Honor Recipients, the photos and biographies of the Tazewell County Veterans the students interviewed, and the photos and biographies of the two Pekin soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan. In addition, the students have also included a section for the thoughts of the Veterans they interviewed on the words Courage, Honor, Duty, and Patriotism. Finally, the students have included a link for Tazewell County Veterans and future generations of Tazewell County Veterans to add their photos and biographies to the site.

The Flag Visual Display created by the students has been placed at the Pekin Public Library for public viewing.

East Peoria Mayor John Kahl, a Sergeant in the Marine Corps from 1985-1991, was one of the veterans the students interviewed for this project.

The students and faculty of Pekin High School were recognized earlier this year by the Illinois State Historical Society for last year’s student project “What Nance Means To Us” (https://pchs.my.canva.site/students-celebrate-nance). That effort was requested by the Tazewell County Clerk to include the students participation in the 2023 Juneteenth Dedication of Legins-Costley Park in Downtown Pekin. Following the overwhelming success and strong community appreciation of that effort, Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds John C. Ackerman asked if this year’s students would be interested in a project concerning the three Tazewell County Medal of Honor Recipients. The students and faculty of Pekin High School accepted the challenge and expanded the scoop to include all Tazewell County Veterans.

“I was so impressed and proud of the work accomplished by the students of Pekin High School last year, the amazing content and quality they produced on the history of Nance Legins-Costley and her son William Henry Costley, I could not pass up the opportunity to see if they could replicate this success with another challenge” stated Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds John C. Ackerman. “What they have produced this year is just as impressive as last year’s effort with the added bonus that this year’s work can continue in the future as they have included a link on their site for all Tazewell County Veterans to upload their service record to the page. With this addition for future growth, this project is not just a ‘Historical Account’ but rather a living project that can continue to grow for future generations to come.”

“Once more the students and faculty of Pekin High School accepted a challenging project and exceeded our expectations to provide a lasting product that will be cherished by the community long into the future” stated Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds John C. Ackerman.