Article published November 12, 2009
$250,000 PROJECT
UT plaza dedicated in honor of veterans
Memorial hailed as symbol of strength
LaMont E. Gee, 84, a World War II veteran from Sylvania, points to his family name at the University of Toledo Veterans' Plaza dedication. The memorial on the main campus was dedicated yesterday.
 PHOTO GALLERY: Veterans Day: Nov. 11, 2009
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THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
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By MEGHAN
GILBERT-CUNNINGHAM
BLADE STAFF WRITER
World War II veteran Jim Rose said the University of Toledo's new memorial to honor those who served our country is "just beautiful."
"It's really awesome they are doing this," said Mr. Rose, 85, who received two Bronze Stars for helping wounded soldiers as a medic in the U.S. Army.
"It's really special and great that this is here now in our community."
Mr. Rose was one of about 700 people yesterday who celebrated the dedication of the Veterans' Plaza on the Veterans Day holiday.
The Veterans' Plaza, with plaques memorializing those who have served the country, flag poles, and benches, is between University Hall and Memorial Field House on the UT campus off Bancroft Street.
Army Col. David Sutherland, a Sylvania native and the event's keynote speaker, said the plaza is symbolic of the strength veterans have displayed on battlefields."It recognizes the capacity of greatness that exists in our academic community and the greatness that exists in our veterans in our community," he said.
Colonel Sutherland saw combat in Desert Storm and in the Iraq War. He is the division chief for the Middle East region in the Directorate of Strategic Plans and Policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) presented a flag that flew over the Capitol as part of the ceremony.
She congratulated the university on its leadership to honor area veterans.
"We know that we all stand on the shoulders of those who gave us our liberties and extend those to future generations," Miss Kaptur said.
The university began the effort to establish a memorial to veterans four years ago and a quick construction schedule built the plaza in about two months.
The goal was to create a place where people throughout the community, not just UT staff and students, can take a minute to remember, said Vern Snyder, UT's vice president for institutional advancement. "The plaza is much more than we ever could have imagined," he said.
The $250,000 Veterans' Plaza was paid for through fund-raising, which included selling plaques to those who want to honor a veteran. More than 40 individualized memorial plaques and several large main plaques with lists of names already have been installed .
The lead gift was a $100,000 bequest from 1937 UT alumna Betty Rapp Tarr, along with numerous corporate donations and in-kind gifts. The UT Foundation continues to accept donations to expand the plaza.
Alumnus Valden Farnham, 86, gave a donation.
"I wanted to help with the cost and I think its a very nice thing they are doing for the veterans," said Mr. Farnham, who served three years in the Army during WWII and is a 1948 UT graduate.
He lived in Toledo nearly all his life, but made the trip from his new home in Columbus to see the memorial and his name on the wall.
"It's excellent," he said. "I think we're all very moved by it."
Contact Meghan Gilbert-Cunningham
at: mcunningham@theblade.com,
or 419-724-6134.
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