If you’re in Genesee Valley Park, stop and take a look at the bridge named for my father, Waldo J. Nielsen.
He was instrumental in connecting the two sides of the park, and following his death, the bridge was named in his honor. He also mapped out the country’s abandoned railway paths to be re-used as hiking, biking, and snowmobile recreation paths, which is documented in his book, The Right of Way.
Mapping these trails was something he did after being inspired by President Kennedy’s speech on health and recreation. Waldo was also co-founder of Rochester Bicycling Club.
My Father, My Hero
Waldo J. Nielsen was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army’s 63rd Infantry during WWII. I’ve been reading the book “The 63rd Infantry Division Chronicles” and I came across a story of my father, who was just 21 years old at the time. The book tells the story of how he was shot while he was leading his platoon around a German-occupied French village.
Here are some select pages from “The 63rd Infantry Division Chronicles.”
Over the years, the families of the 63rd Infantry Division would send out annual Christmas cards which included memories of the soldiers. Here are a few heartfelt stories…
-Howard Nielsen
Owner, Sticky Lips BBQ