Gurnee mayor questions rights to memorial name

Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik questions whether a trademark or service mark on the words "Heroes of Freedom Memorial" would prevent the village from using the name on a planned park to honor Iraq and Afghanistan troops.

Trustee Kirk Morris, whose private foundation no longer is in charge of the effort, filed documents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Sept. 26, 2009 to control the words "Heroes of Freedom Memorial."

Morris' action came just before a dispute over the project with Kovarik became public Oct. 5. He said he needed to protect the interests of the foundation, which has been raising money for the memorial.

Kovarik said Thursday there are doubts whether Morris could prevent Gurnee from having the Heroes of Freedom Memorial name at the village-owned, 1-acre site where it would be built. She noted the village has used the name since 2005.

"You've got to wonder," Kovarik said of Morris getting the trademark. "It's supposed to be a public park for people who served."

On Monday, a village board majority voted against overriding Kovarik's veto of an agreement that would have allowed Morris' private foundation - named for his Marine son who died in the Iraq war - to continue heading the Heroes of Freedom development.

Kovarik said the Pfc. Geoffrey Morris Memorial Foundation has done little in the five years it has led the project planned for public land where Gurnee's police headquarters once stood on Old Grand Avenue. Morris informally took control of the privately funded project before he was elected as village trustee.

In the wake of Monday's decision, Morris said the foundation won't allow the Heroes of Freedom name to be used unless the park is built according to the original plan calling for walkways, statues, benches and flags. Kovarik said she wants a smaller-scale project.

Morris said the foundation intends to take "every action necessary" to retain its right to finish Heroes of Freedom. The agreement called for the memorial to be finished by Dec. 31, 2014, and set various construction milestones.

"We've been duped and we've been double-crossed and we're frustrated," Morris said.

Village board trustees approved a resolution in March 2005 dedicating the public land in remembrance of troops who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. The land has been referred to as Heroes of Freedom Memorial in village minutes and news releases.

Kovarik said Village Attorney Bryan Winter will research whether a trademark or service mark can prevent further use of Heroes of Freedom on the public property. She said Gurnee began using Heroes of Freedom long before Morris went to the patent and trademark office.