Walking through this park-like area, the memorial appears as a rift in the earth . . . . we can barely make out the carved names upon the memorial walls. These names, seemingly infinite in number, convey the sense of overwhelming numbers, while unifying those individuals into a whole. For this memorial is meant not as a memorial to the individual, but rather as a memorial to the men and women who died during the war, as a whole.
Maya Ying Lin
March 1981

-- Round Two: Choosing the Design --

July 1980 to June 1981

Round Two moves from President Carter's approval of the location legislation in July 1980 through the process of articulating goals for a memorial that summer, to announcing a design competition on November 11, 1980, to the end of the competition March 31, 1981, and to the selection of Maya Lin as the winner on May 1, 1981.
 

1980

August:  Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund moves to a larger office.

Aug 10:  "Cold Stone Man," by Lewis W. Bruchey, Washington Post, 08/10/80, C4  (Lexis-Nexis)

Aug 19:  "Reagan Calls Arms Race Essential To Avoid a 'Surrender' or 'Defeat,'" by Howell Raines, 
              New York Times, 08/19/80, A1 (New York Times)

Sep 02:  "Vietnam Veteran Grateful to Reagan," by Tom Carhart, New York Times, 09/02/80, A22
              (Course Documents)  (New York Times)

Sep ??:  Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund rejects sculptor Hart's design and decides on 
              a competition.

Oct 12:  "Soldier's Home," by Gregory D. Foster, New York Times, 10/12/80, D21  (New York Times)

Oct 13:  "War in Memories," by Phil McCombs, Washington Post, 10/31/80, 8:9  (Lexis-Nexis)

Nov 11:  "Design Competition For Vietnam Memorial," by Paul Richard, Washington Post, 
               11/11/80: B7  (Lexis-Nexis)

The competition is announced: see design prospectus  (all in Course Documents)
-- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Design Competition (entry form)
-- Design Competition Advisor and Jury Biographies
-- Design Competition: Judging Criteria
Dec **:  "Coming to Terms with Vietnam," by Peter Marin, Harpers, December 1980, 41-56

Dec **:  "A Veteran Writes," by Fred Reed, Harpers, December 1980, 44
 

1981

Jan 21:  Iran hostages freed 

Feb ??:  Jan Scruggs goes fulltime working for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Feb 01:  "Vietnam Veterans Parade in Shadow of 52 Hostages," by Iver Peterson,
               New York Times, 02/01/81, A22  (New York Times)

Feb 12:  "An Unpopular War, A Lasting Memorial; A Memorial to Those Who Died in Vietnam," 
              by Paul Hodge, Washington Post, 02/12/81: DC1  (Lexis-Nexis)

Mar 31:  competition deadline

Apr 21:  H. Ross Perot agrees to fund the $160,000 for the competition and states that he 
             does not want to see a "flower power" memorial.

Apr 26:  National Day of Recognition for Veterans of the Vietnam Era  (CBS commentary??)

Apr 27:  "A Tardy Tribute to the Veterans of a Divisive War," by Mike Seger, Washington Post, 
              04/27/81: C3  (Lexis-Nexis)

Apr 27:  Judging entries begins through May 1.

May 01:  Winner is chosen: Maya Lin.

May 04:  Scruggs informs Perot of the winning design and gets a negative reaction.

May 04:  Letter from Spreiregen answering questions about having a veteran on the jury.  (Course 
              Documents)

May 06:  News conference announcing winner (see references p. 69 in Healing)

"Student Wins War Memorial Contest," New York Times, 05/07/81: A20  (New York Times)

"Epitaph for Vietnam; Monument to the Forgotten; Memorial Design Is Selected," by Henry Allen, Washington Post, 05/07/81: F1  (Lexis-Nexis)

Maya Lin's Boundaries essay  (Course Documents)

"Design Competition: Winning Designer's Statement," Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund  (Course Documents)

Jun 15:  The Vietnam Veterans Memorial: A Description of the Design Concept, by the 
              Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund  (Course Documents)