Letter
Dear Ms. McNally:
In its public meeting of 17 July conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed candidate designs for a Congressional Gold Medal honoring U.S. Navy aviator Everett Alvarez, Jr., who was held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam from 1964 to 1973.
The Commission provided the following comments and recommendations. Expressing appreciation for Mr. Alvarez’s service to the nation, the Commission members recommended obverse O-2B and reverse R-5A, consistent with Mr. Alvarez’s preferences. For the obverse, they commented that the ship and planes in the background provide a helpful sense of spatial depth in the composition. For the reverse, they recommended significantly reducing the prominence of the numeral “4,” located near the bottom of the design, and they expressed concern about the excessive complexity of alternative R-1.
As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Kristie McNally, Acting Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220