Veterans Way Honorees

Richard J. Lown was born in Waterloo in 1919, and served in the U.S. Army during WWII. He was inducted at Camp Dodge, Des Moines, in June 1942, was assigned to the Personnel Records Department, and trained at IBM Key Punch School in Washington DC. In April 1944, he was assigned to a key punch unit at Base Air Depot #1, Warrington, England, and arrived there on May 1. This unit was responsible for the morning reports from all over the European Theater of Operations. After Japan surrendered in 1945, Richard was sent to London to work on a roster of men who were eligible to go home. He himself got to go home in December 1945, and was honorably discharged on December 20. During his service he attained the rank of Corporal, and was awarded the Service Stripe; Overseas Service Bars; American Campaign Medal; and World War II Victory Medal. Over 23 years, beginning in 1942, Richard and his wife, Julia, welcomed and raised fourteen children, all of them born in either Independence, Iowa, or Waterloo. Richard held many jobs over the years to support his wife, his nine sons and his five daughters, while also working full time as time-study engineer for Rath Packing Company in Waterloo. He thoroughly enjoyed his life and his large family, and always wore a smile. He died on August 9, 2014, at age 94; he and Julia were married for 72 years.

He was a dedicated, hard-working man who spent many years working at Rath Packing Company. One of 13 siblings, he grew up in a large and loving family, a tradition he continued by raising 7 children of his own. Family meant everything to him, and he took great pride and joy in his 12 grandchildren. He found peace and purpose in simple pleasures, especially gardening, and cherished the time spent with his children and grandchildren.

Wayne completed his basic training in Ft. Leonard Wood Missouri, Crypto Repair school in Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey and then Infantry OCS at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Since then Wayne has been very active in the community. Through his business, Magee Construction, he helped design and build a smart home for the Gary Sinise Foundation which builds smart homes for disabled veterans. He also helped build a new shelter in Veterans Park. Wayne has been going to Cemeteries around Dunkerton on Memorial Day, placing poppies on the veterans gravesites since he was seven years old.

Eugene ‘Jack’ Harris served with the 1700th Engineer Combat Battalion during World War II. He started as a private and left the service as a Sargent 1st Class. He married his high school sweetheart Marynette ‘Mina’ Roberts during the War. After leaving the Service, he moved to Tulsa, OK. He owned a successful accounting agency, and became the 1st African-American member of the Tulsa School Board. He also was Executive Director of Moton Memorial Hospital in Tulsa until his death in 1978.

Tom was born in Independence, Iowa, raised in Waterloo, and graduated from Columbus High School in 1966. He joined the U.S. Navy that year, and during the Vietnam War served as a Damage Control Officer on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in 1968 and 1969, in the Gulf of Tonkin. He was honorably discharged in 1972. After finishing his service on the Hornet, Tom returned to Waterloo to get married, build his first home at age 24, and raise two children. He started his own business – Lown Construction and Woodworks – as a home builder, and maker of anything wood, including furniture, cabinets and casework. One contract he had was to build shipping containers for the local Marine detachment, which were used when they deployed for Operation Desert Storm. He was later hired as Quality Control Supervisor for Omega Cabinet Company in Waterloo, and following that spent seventeen years as estimating, design and project manager for Magee Construction in Cedar Falls. He retired from that position in 2006.

His military service began on October 1, 1971, and concluded on September 30, 1977, marking six years of voluntary service in the United States Marine Corps—four years of active duty and two years in the reserves. He served with the Transportation Battalion, Headquarters Company, specializing in Supply Administration and Embarkation. During his service, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan—where he completed 13 months of foreign service—and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He earned the rank of Sergeant (E5) and was honorably discharged. Throughout his military career, he received several commendations, including an Achievement Award for Mount Out preparatory assimilation, three Meritorious Masts, and the Good Conduct Medal. He also earned the Expert Rifle Qualification and the National Defense Service Medal.

He served as a Marine Scout Sniper in the Seventh Marines, based out of Landing Zone Baldy, located south of Da Nang. After his military service, he worked at John Deere and went on to coach volleyball for 40 years. He has a deep love for fishing and has been happily married to Carol Henze for 54 years. Together, they have three children: Natalie Clapp, the late Todd Walters, and Sara Walters