William T. Fitzsimons of Kansas City was the first American officer to lose his life in World War I. Young Fitzsimons, an Army physician and graduate of the University of Kansas Medical School, was one of several killed by German bombs deliberately dropped on an army hospital in France Sept. 7, 1917. Maj. Paul Wooley, a Kansas Citian who had sailed to Europe with Fitzsimons, wrote that the attack could not have been a mistake, that there was nothing of military value near the Harvard University hospital tent in which he was working. The nature of the attack that killed the young officer aroused the nation and enlistment soared. Theodore Roosevelt, a frequent contributor to The Star and Times at the time, wrote an editorial on the Fitzsimons death published Sept. 17, 1917. Five years later, May 30, 1922, a memorial fountain was dedicated to the memory of the young lieutenant. It is embedded in the ivy-covered stone wall terrace at 12th and the Paseo. The memorial was made possible through subscriptions from Kansas Citians. Dedication services were attended by 5,000 persons. The participants assembled at 15th and the Paseo. They were led by the Marquette Council Knights of Columbus band and the DeMolay band. Behind the bands were the Marquette Council, the William T. Fitzsimons American Legion Post and Kansas City physicians.They marched north on the Paseo past the sunken gardens and formed before the 12th Street terrace. The historic cannon of the Spanish American war stood nearby, near its present location. Mrs. Catherine Fitzsimons, mother of the hero, his sisters, Julia, Helen, Catherine and Mrs. J.H. Green, and a brother, G.K. Fitzsimons, occupied the platform with officers and dignitaries. As reported by the paper that day, the band played 'America' and then while 5,000 heads were bowed, the Rev. James McKay read the prayer, 'Our Father.' Dr. John Hayden delivered an introductory address. Bishop Thomas F. Lillis then took the stand. "Our first duty is to God and our second to our country," he said. Dr. Wooley, commander of the William Fitzsimons American Legion Post, unveiled the fountain and presented it to the city. John B. Pew, city counselor, accepted the gift for the city. On the platform were Bryce B. Smith, acting mayor, as well as E. W. Zea and Fred Huttig of the park board. The late John Van Brunt, Kansas City architect, designed the 12-foot tall memorial, still in place today on the ivy-covered wall. Another marker for Lieutenant Fitzsimons is located at the Paseo and 47th. The Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver is also named for him. Kansas City Times, May 26, 1980
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