For he is a great man of our history, it was imperative that Juscelino Kubitscheck, his life, his work, and his democratic ideals not be forgotten. Dona Sarah Kubitscheck worked to acquire land in Brasília, where she could build a monument in JK’s memory. The design by Oscar Niemeyer embraces the three goals of this memorial. It is to be a MAUSOLEUM for Juscelino Kubitscheck, a MUSEUM with documents and objects that display the main events in Juscelino's life and work, and a CULTURAL CENTRE with well-organized programs that help to keep alive the flame of idealism and erudition, which had characterized Juscelino's personality. Dona Sarah invited friends: Adolfo Bloch, Renato Azeredo, Olavo Drumond, and others. In this circle, she initiated the efforts to build and ultimately inaugurate the JK Memorial. Having been informed about the intentions of JK's family through Sérvulo Tavares (a journalist and friend of JK’s family), minister Said Farhat mediated between the family and President Figueiredo. Without hesitation, President Figueiredo agreed to see D. Sarah. The following lines are transcripts from the memoirs of minister Said Farhat: “The President agreed to grant her an audience. He also showed interest in complying with her three requests. When I was leaving the President's office, he followed me, as always, and made many favorable remarks about Juscelino Kubitscheck, his dedication to work, and his gift of foreseeing social development. Figueiredo also mentioned the relative poverty of Juscelino. I asked him how he knew about all this. Figueiredo responded that he himself had looked closely at Juscelino's life and had found nothing that could compromise his honor. I could not refrain from asking why, then, his political rights had been suspended. Figueiredo answered simply: ‘Because Costa e Silva wanted so.’ “‘The suspension of Juscelino's political rights was aimed at preventing Juscelino from running for President again or from even being politically active, which could have brought hope to those who wanted to restore civilian power.’ ‘It was all part of a plan according to which the military would take over. The military would be represented by candidate Marechal Costa e Silva, then minister of defence, who was to succeed President Castelo Branco.’ ” At an audience with President Figueiredo, the singer Sílvio Caldas, an old friend of Kubitscheck's family, alluded to Dona Sarah’s difficulties with her plan to build a memorial in Brasília. When minister Said Farhat asked the President to receive her for an audience, Figueiredo, who considered Sarah’s plan a good idea, confirmed that he would receive Dona Sarah as promised earlier. Watching the news on TV about Silvio Caldas’ audience with the President, Dona Sarah learned about her friend’s request to the President and the President’s willingness to receive her. She didn’t loose time. In her special dynamism, she prepared for the desired audience. On July 18, 1979, the President received Dona Sarah, opened the Planalto Palace doors for her, and assisted her in accomplishing her dream. That day, the President authorized the designation and donation of an area for the construction of the Memorial. By the end of the audience – with an eagerness similar to JK’s – Dona Sarah had set the date for the inauguration to September 12, 1981, and invited the President to the celebrations. President Figueiredo assigned journalist Alexandre Garcia from the Social Communications Office to be Dona Sarah’s liaison to the Planalto Palace. The first commission for the construction of JK’s Memorial included Sarah Kubitscheck, Adolfo Bloch, Márcia Kubitscheck, Maria Estela Kubitscheck Lopes, Rodrigo Paulo de Pádua Lopes, Oswaldo Mala Penido and Victor Nunes Leal. On August 22, 1979, in a moving ceremony at the Buriti Palace, governor Aimé Alcebíades Lamaison presented Dona Sarah with the area where the memorial would be built. On September 11, a decree by Governor Lamaison declared September 12, ex-President Juscelino’s birthday, “Day of Brasília’s Pioneer.” Dona Sarah asked renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer to work on a design for the monument. In just a week, she received Niemeyer’s design for JK’s Memorial, meanwhile considered to be among the world’s most beautiful monuments. In just 17 months, the construction firm SERGEN (Serviços Gerais de Engenharia Ltda, General Engineering Services Ltd.), under the management of Sérgio Gomes de Vasconcelos, completed the Memorial construction, in time for inauguration, and waived all administrative and supervisory charges. The Association for the Juscelino Kubitscheck Memorial (Sociedade Civil Memorial Juscelino Kubitscheck) was left with a total expense of Cr$ 280 for materials and labor only. The sum had been raised from private sponsors as well as government and opposition party donors. This multi-partisan support underscored that comprehension and agreement were achievable when the objective transcended individual and partisan interests. The Memorial is the result of joint efforts of individuals from all walks of life up to the highest circles of government. In accordance with Dona Sarah’s plan, the Memorial was inaugurated on September 12, 1981 and opened to the public.