An Eddie Van Halen memorial tribute in his hometown of Pasadena, Calif. is moving forward.
Per Pasadena Now, a memorial plaque is set to be installed near the Pasadena Convention center near the Civic Auditorium, the site of many shows during Van Halen’s early years as a band.
The memorial tribute push on the city has primarily been the work of Randa Schmalfeld and Julie Kimura, two Pasadena residents who started a GoFundMe page shortly after EVH’s death in October 2020 to raise money for a permanent memorial in the city.
Earlier this week, Schmalfeld updated the GoFundMe page on progress of the permanent Van Halen memorial.
“Last week I met with the CEO of the Pasadena Civic Operating Company and a representative of the City of Pasadena. Pasadena 4 Van Halen has been invited to donate a large plaque to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium!” wrote Schmalfeld.
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Schmalfeld added, “Van Halen played at this location a total of 14 times between 1975 and 1978, and the shows that the band played at the Pasadena Civic brought the band the widespread recognition and fan base that helped to launch them into international stardom. It sounds like this plaque may be the first step in recognizing Eddie and Van Halen. The City of Pasadena has promised to keep us informed as plans unfold.”
Schmalfeld continued, “In the meantime Julie and I are delighted to be invited to design and install this large plaque. Because of the legal issues surrounding copyrighting, we have been told that we may not use any likeness of Eddie or the band, or even Eddie’s famous Frankenstrat Guitar. This is understandable, so I am working on the perfect wording!”
Schmalfeld and Kimura will also be meeting with local school district officials regarding the creation of a mural at Pasadena High School honoring both Eddie and Alex Van Halen, who are both alumni.
