‘Historic monument’ to be unveiled at Felicity, Calif., museum today

French dignitaries will be among the guests at celebrations today for the unveiling of a “historic monument” at the Museum of History in Granite in Felicity, Calif., about 10 miles west of Yuma.

The museum will also dedicate a granite panel telling the history of NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s accomplishments, and mark the 20th anniversary of its Korean War Marine memorial, which bears the names of 4,617 Marines and 107 Navy corpsmen who died during the war.

The museum consists of numerous outdoor granite panels engraved with information about topics including the histories of the United States, California and Arizona, France’s role in the development of aviation, and the Hall of Fame for Parachuting.

Visitors to the site will be able to watch the engraving of yet another panel, “Animals of the World,” as well as walk through its “Maze of Honor,” today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arizona time.

The hour-long formal ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m., beginning with honoring the Korean War section’s anniversary and following with the NASA panel’s dedication, culminating in the unveiling of a new monument “celebrating the centuries of friendship between France and the United States,” according to the event program.

Flags honoring both nations will “descend from the sky” during the ceremony, likely via parachutists. It will be followed by a reception.

Officials from Yuma County, the city of Yuma and Imperial County, Calif. are expected to attend, along with the French delegation.

The museum was founded by French-born Jacques Istel, who served in the U.S. Marines during the Korean War (when he first discovered the Sonoran Desert) and is known as the “father of parachuting,” according to his Wikipedia entry. He is approaching his 90th birthday.

After a career as an investment banker and cofounder of Parachute Inc., he created the town of Felicity in 1981, naming it after his wife, Felicia Lee, and naming himself its mayor, a position he’s held ever since.

The Museum in Granite, accessible from the Sidewinder Road exit off Interstate 8, is near a privatelyfunded post office started 30 years ago, a 25-foot section of the original stairs from the Eiffel Tower, a church and the “Center of the World,” a pyramidshaped structure referencing a children’s book Istel wrote.

For more information, visit historyingranite.org, email museumforever@gmail.com, or call (760) 5720100.