Volunteer Leader Jim Fulton Brings Dearborn County’s WWII Memorial Back to Life

Behind the scenes of how history is about to come full circle on July 4th in Newtown Park in Lawrenceburg

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - On July 4, 2026, the Dearborn County Historical Society will unveil a modern replica of Dearborn County’s World War II Honor Roll Memorial, a stirring tribute to the thousands of local men and women who served during the war. But behind the new memorial stands one volunteer whose determination helped turn a fading memory into a lasting community tribute: Jim Fulton.

For Jim, a decorated veteran himself, this project has never been just about a sign. It has been about restoring something sacred — a public expression of gratitude, sacrifice, and hometown pride that once stood in Newtown Park and spoke for an entire county during one of the most difficult chapters in American history.

The inspiration reaches back to August 1942, when Jim Fulton was just a child.

His family lived in the building now known as Whiskey’s Restaurant and walked the short distance to Newtown Park for a ceremony honoring Jim’s uncle, Kenneth Wayne Fulton Williams, a Marine injured on Iwo Jima. There in the park stood a massive painted billboard listing the names of Dearborn County residents serving in World War II. For young Jim, the sight was unforgettable.

That wartime Honor Roll began with 500 names and grew steadily as more local men and women entered service, eventually reaching 3,000 names by July 1946.

The names were arranged in order of enlistment, and the memorial also recognized those who were missing in action, prisoners of war, wounded, or killed. Hand-painted by Greendale artist and veteran Earl Warburton, the billboard became more than a list. It became a symbol of shared sacrifice and a reminder that nearly every family in Dearborn County had given something to the war effort.

Jim never forgot it. Even as the years passed, he kept asking whether anyone else remembered the billboard. He searched for photos, newspaper clippings, or any trace that it had once stood in the park. He asked at the American Legion. He asked park staff. He asked friends and neighbors to check old family albums.

For a long time, it seemed as though the memorial had vanished from memory — except for his.

Then came a breakthrough: the Dearborn County Historical Society found an old newspaper photo of the billboard. And from that moment, Jim Fulton stepped forward to help lead the effort to bring it back.

About a year ago, as Dearborn County’s 250th celebration plans began taking shape, Jim approached Lawrenceburg Mayor Kelly Mollaun with a simple but powerful idea: recreate the Honor Roll and place it once again in Newtown Park for the July 4, 2026, celebration. The answer was yes — and Jim went to work.

What followed was a labor of love measured not just in hours, but in persistence.

Because Indiana’s veterans database had been lost years ago, rebuilding the Honor Roll meant starting from nothing. Not expecting to recover all 3,000 names, he first hoped to find 1,000. Jim dug through historical records, searched online newspaper archives, contacted Veterans Administration offices in Washington and Indianapolis, and spent long hours at the courthouse copying names by hand from wartime discharge papers because photographs were not allowed. Those handwritten lists then went home, where Jim’s wife, Sandra “Sam” Fulton, typed each name into a spreadsheet.

Bit by bit, line by line, a lost memorial returned.

Jim’s role extended far beyond research. He became the project’s advocate in the community, speaking to groups, attending meetings, and gathering sponsors who believed in the memorial’s meaning. Two organizations that supported the original 1942 billboard — Kiwanis and Phi Beta Psi Sorority — signed on again for the 2026 version. The cities of Lawrenceburg and Greendale, along with local businesses and government supporters, also joined the effort. The Historical Society is still accepting donations to finish the project and to keep it on display in the future.

Sign-A-Rama was hired to build the 20-by-10-foot aluminum frame and create the replica billboard. As the deadline drew near, Jim and other volunteers pressed on. In the end, they identified 2,999 names, along with 111 wounded in action and 84 killed in action. It was an extraordinary achievement built on the conviction that the people of Dearborn County deserved to be remembered by name.

Now, as the unveiling ceremony approaches, Jim and the Historical Society’s volunteers are still at work, making sure every detail honors the generation that carried the burdens of war.

They are quick to thank the Dearborn County Library, the Veterans Administration, and courthouse staff who helped along the way. But perhaps their deepest hope is simple: that families will come to Newtown Park, stand before the Honor Roll, and feel what earlier generations felt there — pride, gratitude, and a personal connection to the names that shaped this community.

From U.S. 50, visitors can turn onto Front Street and follow it a short distance to the entrance of Newtown Park. It is a small route with a big meaning. More than 80 years ago, a little boy walked that same path and saw something that never left him.

Today, because of Jim Fulton’s volunteer leadership and the dedication of many helping hands, Dearborn County will have the chance to see it again.

The Honor Roll replica will remain on display through the month of July. Organizers encourage residents to bring their children and grandchildren to the unveiling, listen to the stories and speeches honoring the Greatest Generation, and take pictures so that this time, the memory will endure.