The JFK Tribute, a memorial in Forth Worth, TX, was erected through a public-private partnership to recognize the significance of Kennedy's last public speech that took place in Fort Worth, as well as the importance of his vision and the impact of his leadership. The sculpture is placed within an elegant granite plaza a features photographic displays and selected quotes from a number of JFK's historic speeches.
Kobi Electric, a Fort Worth-based manufacturer of commercial and industrial energy efficient lighting donated LED tubes to light the JFK Memorial and helped solve a maintenance issue for the facility. Kobi's LED lamps will be used to backlight the images on the walls of the JFK Tribute.
"When we built the JFK Tribute in Fort Worth, LED technology hadn't advanced enough for us to use in the punishing conditions we were building," said Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., Public Improvement District Director Matt Beard. "When the time came to replace the lights, KOBI Electric introduced their new LED technology to Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. and generously donated the material to retrofit the JFK Tribute. We are very pleased with the final product and look forward to working with them again."
The images were previously lit by fluorescent tubes that needed to replaced frequently, resulting in pieces of granite being moved and shifted in order to remove burned out fluorescent tubes. By installing Kobi's T8 LED lamps with an exponentially longer lifespan, the JFK Tribute will remain brightly lit for much longer with much less maintenance required, Kobi said in a release.
"Kobi's T8 Rewire series of LED lamps were a perfect replacement and should provide the long life and appropriate light that the JFK Tribute site needs," said Kobi president Nicholas Peragine. "Our company is proud and humbled to be able to play a small role in continuing to remind visitors and residents of Fort Worth of the magnitude of John F. Kennedy's impact on our country, and the significance of his last appearance that took place in Fort Worth. We believe LED lighting technology is a viable option for any facility that relies on 24-hour dependable lighting sources and is seeking longer life and greater efficiency."