Wall of Honor to be expanded at Ellis Island (10/27/96)

Wall of Honor to be expanded at Ellis Island

ELLIS ISLAND, N.Y. - Due to the overwhelming interest on the part of thousands of people across the country, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation Inc. has officially announced the re-opening of registration for The American Immigrant Wall of Honor.

The memorial, the largest wall of names in the world, currently contains the names of over 500,000 individuals and families who have been honored by their descendants on this tribute to our nation's immigrant heritage. All new submissions will be engraved by the end of 1998.

Since 1982 The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, working in cooperation with the National Park Service, has been responsible for raising the funds for and overseeing the restorations of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, creating museums at both monuments and establishing an endowment to maintain both sites. Recent accomplishments have included restoration of two additional buildings on Ellis Island's northside, expansion of the Oral History Studio, and creation of a Children's Visitor Center and the Immigrant's Living Theater.

Proceeds from this new section of the Wall of Honor will fund the creation of The American Family Immigration History Center, which is currently under development. The center will provide a powerful and fascinating tool that families can use to access information regarding their ancestors' immigration through Ellis Island.

"We are extremely gratified by the continued interest in Ellis Island and the Wall of Honor and their importance to families across the nation. With every nationality represented on the wall dating back to our earliest settlers right up to today, it has truly become the universal tribute to the 'Peopling of America,'" said Stephen A. Briganti, president and chief executive officer of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. "It is with great pleasure that we extend the wall opportunity so that more Americans can include their loved ones on this very moving memorial."

Some of those who have participated in the Wall of Honor include: Barbra Streisand, Gregory Peck, Cicely Tyson and Jay Leno, among hundreds of thousands of others.

For more information on how to add a family name to The American Immigrant Wall of Honor, write to: The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation Inc., P.O. Box ELLIS, New York, NY 10163; telephone, (212) 883-1986.