CULVER CITY, CA (June 1, 2010) – A plaque honoring the memory of Evangelical Covenant Church martyr Dr. Paul Carlson recently was unveiled in the park that bears his name.

The city renamed the park in 1964 to honor Carlson, who served as a medical missionary in Congo and was killed by Congolese rebels during an uprising. However, there was nothing installed in the park at the time that would explain how the park got its name.

That changed with the May 22 unveiling of the plaque, which was placed in the park by the Culver City Historical Society. The plaque tells the history of the 2.5-acre park, which was established in 1927. Carlson was born in Culver City in 1928.

Special guests at the unveiling included Lois Carlson Bridges (accompanying photo), Paul’s widow, and the mayor of Culver City. She gave the invocation and joined the president of the Culver City Historical Society in unveiling the plaque.

Nearly 100 people attended the event. Bridges said one of the highlights of the day was when a young woman came up to her afterwards to say that she had accepted Christ in the park while a little girl.