Helping Others in Times of Need

In the proclamation honoring Val Alyoshin’s acts of heroism, the Cities of Seabrook and El Lago, Texas, offered that “Val’s desire to save his neighbors without regard to his own safety has inspired our citizens to help one another in time of need.”

We seek to pay tribute to Val through the creation of a memorial which best expresses those sentiments. We also hope to do so in a manner which recognizes the places Val called home: both old and new. As an ethnic Russian, Val grew up in Riga, Latvia, when it was part of the Soviet Union. There he saw his country gain independence and later, he and his family came to the United States, seeking a better life.

Although a resident of the Clear Lake area of Houston for only two years, Val had taken to calling Texas his home. “I feel so fortunate to have again found a real home,” Val once said. “I have more opportunity here and more friends here than I have ever known. My heart will always belong to my family and my homeland, but a piece of it now belongs to the Bay Area, too.”

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be sharing with the community prospective memorial concepts here.