NEWBERG, Ore. — Greater Yamhill County VFW Post 4015 will hold a flag folding ceremony Aug. 13 at Scott Leavitt Park to honor the park’s namesake, a Spanish-American War veteran who later served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and chaired Newberg’s park board until his death in 1966.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and last approximately 30 minutes at the park, located at 1310 E. 10th St., according to VFW member and local historian George Edmonston Jr.
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According to the American Legion, a flag folding ceremony is a patriotic tribute to fallen soldiers. Participants fold the flag lengthwise twice, then into a series of triangles starting from the striped end until only the stars remain visible, forming a shape resembling a three-corner hat. The shape represents the soldiers who served under Gen. George Washington and the sailors and Marines who served under Capt. John Paul Jones.
Edmonston Jr. said the event is meant to recognize Leavitt’s military service and his broader record of achievement.
“It’s a celebration of the history of our town and one of its most distinguished residents,” Edmonston said. “There aren’t a lot of people who know who Scott Leavitt actually was and everything we did. It was a remarkable life.”
According to the U.S. House of Representatives historical records, Leavitt was born June 16, 1879, in Elk Rapids, Michigan. He enlisted in the 33rd Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, while in high school and served in the campaign at Santiago, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War. He later attended the University of Michigan before moving to Oregon in 1901, where he homesteaded in the Coast Range and worked as a school principal in Falls City, North Yamhill, Dayton, and Lakeview.
Leavitt joined the U.S. Forest Service as a ranger at Fremont National Forest in 1907 and served in postings in Minnesota and Montana until 1917. He was elected as a Republican to represent Montana’s 2nd Congressional District in 1922 and served in the U.S. House from 1923 to 1933, chairing the House Committee on Indian Affairs for three terms.
Edmonston said Leavitt was also a friend of President Herbert Hoover and made trips to Washington, D.C. to work with the former president.
Leavitt lost his bid for reelection in 1932 and later ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in a 1934 special election. He returned to the Forest Service in Milwaukee and served as commander-in-chief of the United Spanish War Veterans from 1936 to 1937, according to House records. He retired from the Forest Service in 1941 and moved to Newberg, according to Chehalem Park and Recreation District records.
In Newberg, Leavitt served as the first president of the Newberg Rotary Club, from 1935 to 1937, and later became a Rotary district governor, according to a Newberg Rotary Club history document. Fellow Rotarians nicknamed him “Mr. Rotary,” and the club held an annual “Scott Leavitt Day” in his honor.
Leavitt died in Newberg on October 19, 1966, and is buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Ore. At the time of his death, Leavitt was chairman of the Newberg Park Board, the organizational predecessor to what is now the Chehalem Park and Recreation District. The park bearing his name was established in 1966 and today includes a basketball court, playground equipment, and picnic tables.
The flag folding ceremony is open to the public and set to begin at 10 a.m. Aug. 13 at Scott Leavitt Park. It is free to attend.
