Editor’s note: Veterans who once lived, or live currently, in the 61270 zipcode are eligible to have a brick paver placed in their honor. Father’s Day is Sunday, June 19, 2016.
The Veterans’ Park & Memorial (VP & M) in Grove Hill Cemetery, Morrison, IL, includes tablets on which the names of deceased local veterans are inscribed. Presently, there are listed nearly 2000 of those who honorably served our Country and brought credit to themselves, their families, their friends, and our community. Unfortunately, 325 of these esteemed veterans await inscription of their names on stone tablets.
Stewardship of the VP & M is the responsibility of Morrison Historic Preservation Commission (MHPC.) A new tablet costs approximately $3000. The average cost for each inscribed name is $30. Sadly, the fund does not presently have enough dollars to catch up on those who so richly deserve to be recognized.
Other than generous direct donations, funding the continuous updating of the Memorial is through the sale of engraved pavers. These distinctive bricks may be inscribed with a veteran’s name and personal details. Eligible veterans must have been born, lived, or died in Morrison.
The cost of an engraved paver is $100. On average, the management fund nets enough from the sale of each paver to add one name to the memorial tablets.
Therefore, selling 325 pavers would enable all veterans to be listed on the tablets.
Lon Rice is a member of the MHPC. He enlisted in 1968 and retired in 1995 with the rank of Master Sergeant, after having served in various capacities at home and abroad. Rice said, “I have no doubt but that there will be a tremendous outpouring of support to keep the VP & M vibrant and alive, from the wonderful folks of Morrison, where I grew up and returned to raise my family.”
Another MHPC member who is a veteran, Bob Vaughn, also enlisted in 1968 and served as a Vietnam War 50 caliber truck gunner. Vaughn observed, “The community can be very proud of our Veteran’s Park & Memorial….It displays our thanks, in a very real sense, to those men and women who served their Country. The granite tablets create a place of reflection and peace, befitting the selflessness and dedication of the people whose names are etched for eternity.”
Please contact City Hall, 815-772-7657, to order a paver or click here to print the form to memorialize your loved one. You can also make a donation to the cause of bringing the tablets current.
This renewed fundraising effort is in cooperation with that being undertaken by The American Legion Post #328.