by 
Superior artist Bobby Cook is looking for sponsors to help mend photos on the VFW Wall of Honor.
Bobby Cook recently moved back to Superior to retire. He was born in Ray, Arizona and when that town was torn down Bobby’s parents relocated to Superior. Bobby graduated from Superior High School and after graduation he went on the road, traveling across the country, playing music with a band. While he was working as a musician Bobby also worked as a book cover artist. Part of his work experience included airbrushing covers of magazines and using Photoshop. When he came back to Superior, Bobby realized he had skills he could use to help the town.
“I came into the VFW when I first came back, and there was a wall in the front full of pictures of the fathers, and grandfathers, some of them who had died in the wars,” Bobby said.
The pictures made up the VFW’s Honor Wall. Many of the pictures were decaying because the photograph paper was fragile and it crossed Bobby’s mind that he knew how to repair photos. But the next time he came into the VFW the pictures were missing from the Honor Wall the pictures. The pictures had been taken down because they were in such disrepair.
When you sponsor a vet, your name goes upon the wall while they are creating the tile portrait.
Bobby and his partner Rich Homan had been putting images on ceramic. Ceramic tile can last 2,000 years. Bobby realized they could take the photos and put them on tiles and with that one thought the VFW Wall Restoration Project was born. Bobby is donating his own time, all the work he is doing to repair the damaged images, but there is an additional cost of $35 to put each image on a tile. To cover this cost the VFW is looking for people to come in and sponsor the veteran’s pictures.
VFW Wall of Honor
You can sponsor a family member or a total stranger. When someone comes into the VFW they can pull off a picture from the wall of the veteran they would like to sponsor and once they pay the $35 fee and fill out a form, the original photo is taken down and a piece of paper is put in its place with the sponsor’s name and the name of the veteran they are sponsoring. When all the photos have been converted to tile those tiles will decorate a wall in the VFW.
The project is not limited to only the photos that now hang on the wall. You can also bring in photos of veterans who you would like to see on the wall. Who qualifies to be on the Honor Wall? Any past or present veteran residents, or residents that have family veterans that live else where’s.
Bobby can do a lot with any photos you bring in. If you have a group picture, he can take one person out of the shot and use that image for the tile. If you have a photo that is not in great shape, he can work his magic to restore it.
For anyone who sponsors, Bobby is also offering for an additional $15 to put the image on a mug or a plate that you can take home. Bobby says, “It’s a great way to have something for your family to remember someone.”
So far the project has had one anonymous donation that has allowed them create fourteen tiles and Bobby himself has sponsored a handful of photos. But there are still many photos on the wall that need to be converted. Bobby is hoping to spread the word about the project and he is in the process of setting up a Gofundme account.
The VFW Hall is located on Main St. in Superior.
For an additional fee, you can have the photo put on a mug or plate.
by by