James Hard was the nation's last surviving Union Combat Veteran of the Civil War. Hard was a Rochester New York icon through the 1940s and early 50s. He was well over 100 years old and his picture was in the local papers just about every week. Back in the 1950s, everyone knew who James Hard was. Now only a few people past 70 can remember him. It's time to honor the old man once again.

[source: Rochester City Newspaper events calendar, 2017-Apr-5]