World War II memorial still stands to honor vets
By Erik Pekar, Town Historian
As Memorial Day approaches, the people of Granville, and other communities across the United States will remember and look back upon those from their communities who served our country, whether in time of war or other times, and have either passed on or given the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country.
Over the years, monuments have been made honoring those who served. This year, this column focuses its attention on the World War II monument that stands in front of the Granville High School on Quaker Street in the Village of Granville.
The monument had its roots in the wartime honor rolls, and the quest for an honor roll began almost as soon as the war had begun. The effort was initiated by Nan Manchester, then publisher of the Granville Sentinel. In late February of 1941, she requested the families of those who were serving in the armed forces to send their names to the Sentinel. A column would be set aside every week, until the end of the war, with the names printed. Each name would be accompanied by the branch of the armed forces. The rank, however, would be omitted, “as no distinction will be made on the Honor Roll since all are serving for God and Country.” The first Sentinel Honor Roll was printed in the February 26, 1941 issue, with more than 40 names.
In March a movement began to erect a physical honor roll for those serving in World War II. The American Legion took the initiative in planning the roll. The main board measured about 7 feet tall by 14 feet wide, with “For God and Country” inscribed at the top of the roll, and it would be constructed by the N.Y.A. center in the area. Names were borrowed from the Sentinel Honor Roll, and those who had not submitted names were encouraged to send them to the Sentinel or to Bert Yurdin’s store.
The N.Y.A. had completed the building of the honor roll board by late August. The names at the time were being stenciled onto the individual planks. It was planned at the time to place the honor roll once this stage was finished.
There was disagreement over where the honor roll should be located. Early consideration was to place the monument on the triangle at the corner of West Main Street and Quaker Street. This was objected by others on the basis that there was too much traffic going by in that area, and people wouldn’t be able to read the honor roll. After several discussions, and a public meeting in late September, it was decided to instead place the monument on the Mancini property on Main Street; this was the vacant lot next to the Barnard Brothers store.
The Honor Roll was placed in late November. The dedication ceremony was held Nov. 22. At this time, the Honor Roll had 302 names. James N. Mason was the master of ceremonies. By 1944, the honor roll board had been moved to the green at the corner of Main and North Streets, next to the Village hall. At the end of World War II, the honor roll had the names of about 700 from Granville who served in the war.
The drive for a permanent World War II memorial began in early 1946, with Morris Rote-Rosen. He advocated in favor of a memorial in his “Main Street” column.
As soon as his opinion was printed there were objections to the idea. Rote-Rosen noted in “Main Street” of March 28, 1946 that someone had asked “What’s the matter with the bank clock?” Rote-Rosen’s response was that he had meant “something permanent with the names of the boys inscribed on it (not forgetting our girls) … The wooden Honor Roll board has about served its purpose … and the bank clock still remains a memorial to our boys who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of our country … One has nothing to do with the other…. unless more than 700 names are inscribed on something more enduring than wood those who served our country in its greatest peril will soon be forgotten.”
Rote-Rosen’s idea would not be seriously considered until 1948. In the meantime, there was talk by the village board of moving the wooden honor roll. It was suggested at the April meeting that the triangle lot at the corner of West Main and Quaker Streets was open if it was necessary to move.
At the May meetings of the American Legion and the VFW, each organization resolved to oppose moving the wooden honor roll. At one of the meetings, a veteran said, “The board may not mean anything to those who wish to move it and get it out of the way, but to me it stands for my buddies who served with me and who were killed over in the Pacific and in Europe and the board should remain where it is.”
Morris Rote-Rosen made a formal proposal of a World War II memorial to Granville’s American Legion and VFW posts at their meetings during May 1948. Both veterans groups accepted the proposal.
Rote-Rosen’s proposal was to have seven slate stones of different colors in a row, with plaques affixed to the stones. He also produced a quote from Balch Brothers and West Company of Syracuse, which could furnish the tablets for $2,100.
A committee was formed in June of 1948, with equal representation of both veterans organizations; Rote-Rosen was appointed chairman.
The slate stones were acquired from the Granville area slate companies in July of 1948. The companies that furnished stones were Hugh G. Williams, clear purple; Evans Brothers, gray black; Tatko Brothers, red, unfading green; Taran Brothers of North Poultney, unfading mottled gray; Joe Williams and Edward Harrington, mottled purple; David Morris, dark sea green.
The stones were then delivered over the months of September through November to the Carpenter Slate Mill in Fair Haven, Vt., which milled and polished the stones, for $25 per stone.
The fundraising campaign was organized in September of 1948 and was launched on Oct. 15. Appeals for donations appeared in the Sentinel and were sent in the mail. The goal was $3,000.
The fundraising progressed quickly; by early November, it had reached $800, and by Nov. 11, it was over $1,500. The fundraising campaign was concluded by Dec. 1, and just over $3000 had been raised.
The date for the dedication of the memorial was announced to be May 30, 1949. The order for the bronze tablets was placed on December 7, 1948. The bronze tablets would contain 694 names in total.
Funds contributed in early December after the conclusion of the fundraise brought the total up to $3,384.75. The cost of the tablets and stones totaled $2,275, with the remaining $1,109.75 to be spent on building concrete base and landscaping.
Plans for the dedicatory exercises were decided upon by the committee in February of 1949. Even with the conclusion of the fundraiser, money trickled in; by the end of March, the total had climbed to $3,460.75. There were 640 contributors, as well as 100 school children who raised about $75.
Another bronze plaque was ordered, listing the names of the slate manufacturers who contributed the slate stones for the monument.
The committee finalized the plans for the ceremonies on April 11. The finished stones and bronze tablets arrived in Granville by the end of April.
The dedication ceremonies were held on May 30, 1949. The parade began at 10 a.m. on Main Street; the Sons of Union Veterans gave up their Civil War ceremony to focus on the World War II memorial. The parade arrived at the monument site on the front lawn of the Granville High School, about 10:30 a.m. The Granville Town Band played “America” and Rev. Jasper Steele of the Granville Methodist Church gave the invocation. Chairman Morris Rote-Rosen gave a speech and was followed by several other dignitaries. It was noted that the 23 Gold Star names were marked with a star next to each name. This was followed by a union service at the Peniel Presbyterian Church, and ceremonies at the World War I and Civil War monuments.
Granville’s World War II memorial still stands in front of the Granville High School on Quaker Street in the Village of Granville, the same place it was assembled in 1949. Today it is flanked to the sides by the Korean War and Vietnam War memorials. If you haven’t seen the World War II memorial, check it out this Memorial Day weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment