Fallbrook resident is the exclusive engraver for Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial

Dave Aranda-Richards

Special to the Village News

As the exclusive designer and creator of all the commemorative plaques on the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial in San Diego, lifelong Fallbrook resident Robert Borst has been "busier than a mustard paddle at a picnic," for the past month, preparing photo engraved works for Memorial Day events, here, Cresson, Pennsylvania, and Sidney, New York.

Borst is also responsible for the Vietnam Veterans Wall in Sacramento on which he has engraved the names of over 5,000 Californians who gave their lives in that conflict. "If you ever go there, you'll see on the central part of the Vietnam Memorial a big, engraved map of North and South Vietnam with certain locations highlighted, which we also had the honor of producing" Borst said.

"We currently have many plaques pending on Mount Soledad and they are putting up more walls for plaques to be placed on. In addition to those projects, I also create photo engraved plaques for graves in cemeteries across the nation from our shop here in Fallbrook," he continued.

In Fallbrook, Borst donated over a thousand historical engraved plaques that can be seen around town including at the lovely Jackie Heyneman Park on South Mission.

Born here in 1944, Borst said that "the biggest difference between Fallbrook when I was a kid and today is the significant loss of agricultural products. The avocado industry which has been decimated by foreign markets is only a shadow of what it was like. This also includes the citrus industry, and of course our population explosion."

Borst's wife Lynn was a teacher at the Fallbrook Street School in Fallbrook for many years. He currently preaches at The Church of Christ in Lake Elsinore on Sundays. For many years he was the preacher of The Church of Christ in Fallbrook at 401 North Main Street.

If you are ever in the area of his business, Borst Designs, 447 Ammunition Road, the affable gentleman would love to meet you and show you the displays of his work. He can also be reached at 760-723-0776.