Clark State Community College will dedicate an art memorial to honor the memory of our nation’s fallen soldiers on the Leffel Lane campus on Thursday, November 13, 2014, at 3 p.m.
The ceremony will feature:
- Colonel Tim Gorrell, director, Ohio Department of Veterans, U.S. Army, retired
- 88th Air Base Wing and Installation Commander, Wright-Patterson AFB, Colonel John Devillier
- Members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart State Honor Guard will perform “Taps” at the conclusion of the dedication.
Scott Cody, a member of Clark State’s student senate and an Iraq war veteran brought the project idea to President Jo Alice Blondin, Ph.D., as a way to help veterans on campus feel embraced by the college community. Cody first proposed the idea of the memorial at the end of 2013, and he hopes it will serve as a symbol of Clark State’s commitment to its veteran students and campus visitors. The planning committee comprised of students, Foundation volunteers, local art experts, veterans, faculty and staff.
“The memorial project is a gift from the students and our community to veterans both on and off campus so we wanted to have the original design come from our students as well,” said Scott Cody. “More than 50 submissions were entered for consideration, and we were blown away by the creativity and thoughtfulness put into each design.”
Veteran students and the members of student senate commented on the designs before turning them over to judges Ann Fortescue, executive director of the Springfield Museum of Art, and Mike Major, a sculptor and artist from Urbana.
Major assembled the final piece using elements from four student designs. The students (Adric Avery - wings, Audrey Fletcher - hands holding dog tags, Erica Bunish - flag and Elizabeth Kimmel – flag) are all in their second year of the Graphic Design program.
The student committee has raised close to $50,000 to have the piece created and installed with full access and accessibility for all community members.