Utica Sailor to Be Honored in Special Pearl Harbor Dedication

December 7, 1941 is known as "a day that will live in infamy," but December 7, 2018 will be a positive one in Central New York.

On Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, the Oneida County History Center will host a special observance. A new display of items recognizing the career of U.S. Navy sailor Gerald James “Bob” Magee of Utica, who was killed aboard the USS Arizona in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, will be presented and dedicated.

One of Magee's descendants, Dave DeSantis, will formally donate the items, which include photographs, certificates and service medals.

The event begins at 11 a.m. Friday in the center's main gallery at 1608 Genesee St., Utica, and is free to the public.

The Oneida County History Center was founded in 1876 as the Oneida County Historical Society and, according to its website, is always there to "collect, preserve and make accessible the past heritage of Oneida County and the upper Mohawk River Valley."