By Jim Waldron – Originally published in the 1999 Founders Review Magazine
Jimmy “Man Mountain” Dean, a retired professional wrestler who lived in Belleview during the 1960s, saw a dream come true on Sunday, Nov. 9, 1969, with the dedication of the Vietnam War Dead of Marion County Memorial in front of Belleview City Hall. The memorial was the first of its kind in the United States to honor soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.
Dean purchased the Ocala Caverns in the early ’60s, located just north of Belleview, and operated them as a tourist attraction for many years. The caves also served as his home while he lived in Belleview.
Dean became active in the Ocala Moose Lodge, located in Belleview, and served two years as the Lodge’s Governor. There, he met Vivian Dean, owner of Dean’s Barbecue. The two became friends, and Mrs. Dean began making clothes for the former wrestler.
“He was such a big man, he couldn’t go in a store and buy clothes that fit,” she said. “So he would buy the cloth, and I would make all of his suits for Moose functions.”
A member of the Moose for 32 years, Mrs. Dean also helped with the memorial project, serving as secretary. With her support, Dean enrolled the Moose Lodge in the effort. Belleview American Legion Post 284 soon joined, followed by VFW Posts 10111 and 4209, and the Ocala Marine Corps League.
The “Vietnam War Dead Memorial Committee” was formed to organize fundraising and plan the dedication. The committee included Jim Dean, Chairman; Paul Elkins, Vice Chairman; Russell J. Baker, Secretary-Treasurer; Marion County Sheriff Doug Willis; Commander Ro Houts, Belleview American Legion Post 284; Virgil Morris, American Legion Post, Summerfield; Russell O. Hitz and Irvin Wilkie, VFW Post 10111; Robert Magamoll, VFW Post 4209; Leonard Jones, Marine Corps League; Herb C. Romines, Moose member, builder, and donor of the flagpole; and Max Hozgrebe, designer and Moose member from Lady Lake.
President Richard Nixon and Governor Claude Kirk were both invited to speak, but neither could attend. An invitation was also extended to the Commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Though he could not attend, he sent Major John Fitzgerald, a Vietnam veteran with nine Air Medals and a Purple Heart, to speak in his place. The military also sent the Navy Band from the Orlando Training Center and a Marine Color Guard, which raised a flag over the memorial that had flown in combat in Vietnam. Brigadier General Thomas W. Mellen, Director of Logistics for the U.S. Strike Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, was also sent as a speaker.
The committee selected U.S. Representative Charles Bennett of Jacksonville as the featured speaker. A former Army officer, Bennett saw combat in New Guinea and the Philippines during World War II.
As the event neared, a final planning meeting was held on Nov. 1. An Air Force plane landed on a farm south of Belleview for the conference. Arrangements were made for the speakers, seating was prepared for the next of kin of the soldiers named on the monument, and a crowd of 5,000 was anticipated.
The dedication began at 1 p.m. with a parade led by the Lake Weir High School Band, which marched from Robinson Avenue to City Hall along the northbound lane of U.S. 441. Also in the parade were the Navy Band, the Marine Color Guard, the Marion County Mounted Posse, and vehicles carrying the event’s speakers.
Vincent Razzano, President of the Bank of Belleview, served as Master of Ceremonies. Father P. Woodyard and Sam Eff gave the invocations, and Emilee Wilson sang “God Bless America.”
County Clerk John F. Nicholson read the names of the soldiers on the memorial and shared a letter written by Frances De Vore, whose son Richard W. Lytle was among those honored.
The speakers included Rep. Bennett; Rep. William Chappell of Ocala; Major Fitzgerald; Gen. Mellen; retired Gen. Louis Gravely; and retired Rear Admiral Frederick B. Warder. Each paid tribute to Dean for his tireless efforts in bringing the memorial to life.
The ceremony lasted just over two hours, with official estimates putting the crowd at around 3,000 attendees.
A few years later, Dean closed his business and left Belleview.
“He told me he was going back to his home state of Nebraska,” said Vivian Dean.
