Three generations of Adkins men revealed a new monument to Lorraine Adkins.
Her widower, Pete, son Terry and grandson Blake pulled the white cover from a large stone bearing the likenesses of the old football coach and his wife.
Beneath the bronze image of Lorraine, the monument says: "She taught our community to honor the cost of freedom by founding Wreaths for Heroes. Beloved wife and best friend of a member of the 'Greatest Generation' who later became the greatest high school football coach in America. Lorraine Adkins will always be Jefferson City's 'First Lady of Patriotism and Jay Football.'"
Before Thursday's unveiling, about 180 well-wishers crowded into one of the rooms in Jefferson City High School's Keith Weber Athletic Field House. There, they heard from former players and from Pete, who in a video presentation, shared some of his memories of his wife.
"She was always the boss," he said in the recording. "She knew how she wanted to see things done, and she expected them to be done at a very high level."
She admired and loved veterans, he said, and showed it through her work. Several years ago, Pete, a World War II veteran, traveled on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., to see the monuments and to be remembered for his service. When he returned, Pete said, he told Lorraine about the experience. She said she wanted to see the monuments as well, so they planned a trip and traveled back to the U.S. Capital.
"I think what really got to her was the visit to Arlington Cemetery," he said.
On the return flight, she said she was going to honor service members by putting wreaths on all the nearly 1,600 graves at the Jefferson City National Cemetery. It was something she read had been done elsewhere.
"You can't do that," Pete said he told her.
"You don't say 'no' to a woman," he said. "Nobody says 'no' to Lorraine Adkins. Not even me."
Pete said they realized what Jefferson City had in its national cemetery was very special.
In April that year, she had created Wreaths for Heroes and began receiving donations.
By December, the organization had enough wreaths for the entire cemetery and started the Jefferson City tradition.
Pete's video tribute included a segment from Lorraine speaking at the 2010 wreaths event. She introduced the committee that pulled the work together.
"These are the people who have worked so hard," she said. "Believe it or not, we accomplished all of this. A year ago, we had no wreaths, no respect for the people here."
Jefferson City Public Schools Superintendent Larry Linthacum said Lorraine was part of his early connection to the school.
Pete had helped to get him hired as a coach a couple of weeks earlier, so when Lorraine walked into the coaches' offices, Linthacum said he was confused.
"She paid me a visit," he said. "I didn't know what to expect."
She just wanted him to know how important Operation Bugle Boy was to her and how important veterans in general were to her. Operation Bugle Boy is a nonprofit honoring current soldiers, veterans and first responders.
Thursday's dedication of the monument was scheduled to coincide with a series of events that were important to Lorraine, who died early in April 2017. Monday would have been the couple's 70th anniversary. Tuesday would have been her 90th birthday, and the annual Jay Football Foundation Golf Tournament is this weekend.
Organizers hoped holding the presentation right before the tournament would give many former players chances to return and participate in both.
Among those at the event was George Shorthose, a former Jay running back who was once the school's all-time leading rusher. His then-record of 3,073 career yards wasn't eclipsed until 2010, about 30 years after he graduated from high school.
"I come back for the golf tournament," Shorthose said. "It's a lot of the old-timers coming back."
He and the other "old-timers" enjoy visiting with Pete on the golf course. Pete doesn't play, but he finds a cool spot in the shade and waits for players to arrive at his golf cart.
"Everybody comes by to say, 'hello,'" Shorthose said.