From the President’s Desk
BY LUCY BEAN
President
Windsor Historical Society
I had this bright idea one day — Windsor needs a memorial to honor all veterans of all wars since the French War of 1675. That thought kept circling back to the old Honor Roll that once stood proudly in the center of town. It was built in 1943 during the Second World War and remained there until sometime in the 1990s. Behind its glass were the names of 118 Windsor boys who enlisted and went off to fight in places they had only read about. Two nurses were listed as well, women who volunteered right beside them.
Of the 118 who served, four never returned home. Their mothers became Gold Star Mothers, carrying pride and grief in equal measure. One soldier’s body was never brought back; to this day he lies in an unknown grave far from Windsor. That loss changed our town forever.
We honored our boys, and then — without explanation — someone took down the Honor Roll and removed it. The board that held every name, one beneath the other, simply vanished. Windsor was left without a place to remember.
That is when the idea of a new memorial began to take shape in my mind. I didn’t know a thing about how to start such a project, but I learned fast. I had strong support from my good friend Henry Yoder, who has stood behind this effort from the beginning.
The first step was getting approval from the Historical Society. It passed, but just barely. Some members felt we didn’t need a memorial. Yes, Windsor has a grand statue standing tall in the old cemetery on the hill north of town, built by the women of Windsor in the 1800s to honor their men.
And, yes, we have another statue in the small park downtown. But neither of these lists the names of the 118 boys and two nurses who served in 1943. That is what Windsor needs — a place that shows we have not forgotten them and never will.
Once approval was secured, it was time for pledge letters. These letters went out to businesses and to Historical Society members past and present. They explained what we are doing and why, and asked for monetary support to help build the memorial. Each letter included a pledge slip and a self-addressed envelope so people could return their intentions. I did not ask for cash or checks yet — only a promise that when the time came, they would stand with us. The pledges are coming in slower than I hoped, but they are coming.
With that underway, the next step was choosing the location. We selected the grounds of Windsor’s Episcopal Church and Museum — a place rooted in our town’s history and spirit.
Across the drive from the church stands Windsor’s old flagpole. It has served the town for many years, but it is tired, worn, and long past its best days. We finally admitted what everyone already knew – it needs to be removed and replaced with a new, sturdy pole worthy of a veterans memorial.
At the base of that new pole will sit a large engraved stone. Its inscription will read: “This memorial is dedicated to all veterans, men and women, who fought for Windsor and for country from 1675 to the present.”
That part was easy. Finding the right stone was not.
Henry and I drove all over the countryside, stopping at every place that advertised driveway stones or landscaping rock of any size. We thought it would be simple, but it wasn’t. Then we reached Buckeye Stone. Robert, the owner, listened patiently while I explained the project — why we were doing it, who it honored, and how important it was to Windsor. When he finally got a word in, he said he had a stone we might want to see.
Henry took one look at it, turned to me, and said, “I think we found it.” And we had. It’s ours now.
Next came the engraving. That part was easier. Henry knew of an elderly Amish craftsman who does beautiful engraving work. We went to see him, and he said yes – bring him the stone and the bricks, and he would take care of it.
We laughed later that maybe we had the cart before the horse. We had found the rock, found the engraver, and even purchased the bricks – but we hadn’t sold a single one yet.
The memorial will be built of bricks arranged in an eight-foot circle around the new flagpole.
The bricks come in two sizes:
• 4×8 bricks with two lines of text
• 8×8 bricks with four lines of text
Each brick, no matter the size, will always begin with the veteran’s name. That is the rule. The other lines may contain words of your choice.
You may purchase as many bricks as you wish; there is no special pricing for multiples. Every brick stands alone, honoring one veteran at a time.
So now we had the what, the where, and the why. The next question was the who — who was going to put all of this together for us?
That answer came easier than expected. A gentleman called me one afternoon and said he was interested in helping with the memorial. Henry and I didn’t waste a minute. We drove out, picked him up, and brought him straight to the church grounds for a walk-through and a question period.
He and Henry talked about water drainage, soil, leveling, and all the practical details that make or break a project like this. After walking the area and discussing the layout, he said he would like the job – and then he told us something that nearly took our breath away:
He will be donating all of his services to this memorial. Every bit of the work.
He also offered to handle any landscaping around the memorial so everything could be completed at one time.
Hallelujah — we had our builder.
Next came pricing for the bricks. He said he would help with that, too. His supplier might even offer a discount, as the supplier is a veteran himself. We also needed the total engraving cost.
The cost of a 4×8 brick with two lines of text is $50. The 8×8 bricks with four lines of text is $100.
If anyone has questions about the memorial, the bricks, the engraving, or how to participate, they may call me at 440-537-9088 any time. I am always glad to speak with anyone who wishes to honor Windsor’s veterans.
