Mayor announces Veterans Memorial Hall at City Hall
(10/16/2006) Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and the Mayor's Veterans' Affairs Advisory Committee are creating a new Veterans Memorial Hall at City Hall that will serve as a stately remembrance of city veterans and that preserves two plaques from the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
“We look forward to continuing to honor local veterans for their selfless service to our country,” the Mayor said. “I am especially pleased that the City was able to preserve the memorial plaques from the Coliseum in a place as fitting as City Hall.”
Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. and the committee are issuing a special invitation to the families of New Haven veterans who died in Korea and Vietnam, and whose names will be imprinted on the new wall to join the City’s dedication ceremony Saturday, November 11, 2006, at 12:30 p.m. on the second floor of New Haven City Hall, 165 Church St. The project is sponsored jointly by Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. through the Office of Economic Development and the Mayor’s Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Committee. A PDF of the project is attached.
The Veterans Memorial Hall will be located on the second floor of City Hall. It incorporates the original 1973 dedication plaque from the Coliseum, and a restored plaque that has engraved names of New Haven veterans who died in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, along with statements from Mayors John DeStefano, Jr., former Mayor Biagio DiLieto and bronze insignias of the military service branches. This polished black granite monument is designed and produced by Dean Sakamoto Architects, LLC of New Haven. Sakamoto serves on the City's Cultural Affairs Commission and the Yale School of Architecture faculty.
Located in a highly visible area of City Hall's second floor, the monument will be completed by the end of October, in time for Veterans Day.
“We wanted the Veterans Hall to be featured in a part of City Hall that receives the most traffic,” said Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. “We are pleased to have such an elegant place to memorialize our veterans and to continue teaching future generations about those who died in sacrifice for our freedom.” The Mayor thanked the veterans’ committee and Deputy Director of Economic Development Tony Bialecki for coordinating the project.
Bob Fodero, chairman of the Mayor’s Veterans’ Advisory Committee, is pleased with the project. "The memorial wall and hall are intended to provide a place of remembrance, comfort and reflection for those left behind. It is the hope of our committee that this will also serve as a place of renewal for future generations." Fodero added, “I think veterans will be very pleased that we have recovered the plaques from the Coliseum and transferred the names to this new hall.”
Judy Williams, a longtime member of the commission, is also pleased with the fruition of the project. She had a brother who died in Vietnam in 1970, and knows many New Haven families who have lost loved ones to war. “It’s extremely important for people to know this is happening,” she said. “This is something we’ve worked hard to save for generations to come.”
The Mayor said he looks forward to renaming City Hall’s beautiful open atrium as Veterans Memorial Hall. The dedication ceremony is open to the public, but Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. is especially encouraging the friends and family of the veterans honored on the plaque to attend. The project is sponsored jointly by Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. through the Office of Economic Development and the Mayor’s Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Committee.
Below are the names of the New Haven veterans whose brave service to country is honored in the new memorial:
KOREAN WAR
1950 – 1953
Francis H. Abele
Robert P. Abele Russell Hancharyk
Joseph A. Aldo John J. Hughes, Jr.
Malcolm E. Aldrich Donald L. Humiston
John J. Barrett, Jr. Stanislaw Klimowicz
Benjamin R. Bazzell Gerald F. LaCourse
Richard M. Beam Warren H. Leining
Joseph E. Bergeron Gordon E. Lyons
Silas Birchmore, Jr. Roderick MacDonald
Joseph H. Boucher Edward R. Masiulis
Augustus W. Cherry Edward J. McDonald
Victor J. Choiniere Raymond McNamara
Raymond H. Clayton Albert Medas, Jr.
Louis Comis Joseph J. Meehan, Jr.
Bernard D. Cook Richard E. Megin
Francis E. Crawley Roy T. Merriman
Jess M. Cushing Paul Monaco
Alex Danowski Graham B. Munger
Raymond S. Davis Edmund C. Pallesen
Dominic Del Vecchio Louis Pascarella
Donald E. Dibble Donald A. Pina
Frank J. DiPino Laurence A. Reed
Joseph V. Docchio John P. Rigney
Vincenzo G. Donaglia Raymond Rogers, Jr.
Earle S. Downes Rodney R. Rowe
Charles E. Downey Dennis R. Rush
John J. Earley Francis J. Scully
Colin C. Eccles John B. Sherlock
Thomas R. Eckert Alfred R. Sims
Lowell J. Eggert Edwin A. Soares
Oscar E. Espelin Robert L. Strawson
Joseph G. Figaro Jake Tyner, Jr.
Charles H. Fleming Joseph Urbanorwicz
John C. Forkel Edward Zabilowski
John J. Garcia
Joseph J. Gargiulo
Robert J. Gervais
Joseph C.M. Gravel
Charles A. Green
John S. Grover
VIETNAM WAR
1965 ~ 1973
Everett L. Anderson Calvin E. McGilton
Arthur W. Bailey, Jr. Alexander J. McGlothin
Frank A. Barker Francis J. McGouldrick, Jr.
Calvin Belton William M. Meglio, Jr.
Samuel W. Brewer Michael G. Mennone
Creed L. Bryant Frank G. Navarro
D. C. Carter Henry J. Nelson
Thomas A. Chialastri George J. Pascale
Ralph P. Costanzo Joseph A. Pecora
Kenneth Cushen Anthony A. Price
James A. Daniels John H. Raber
Anthony Gianelli Richard J. Regan
Curtis Good Gary C. Richards
Albert F. Graham, Jr. Henry M. Robinson, Jr.
Archie L. Guthrie George A. Shavies
Edward M. Hardwick Robert A. Tillquist
Roosevelt Hardy, Jr. Henry L. Whaley
John J. Illingworth Malcolm G. Williams
Paul J. Maciuszek Bernard A. Zambrano
“This memorial is meant to honor those who gave their lives for our country and for our community. It is appropriate that we gather together as a community, united by their selfless sacrifice, to honor the courage and dedication of these veterans. I hope to see the veterans’ families at the ceremony, so that they can feel strength in our proud remembrance, and be comforted by the warmth of our City’s gratitude,” said Mayor DeStefano.
"The memorial wall and hall are intended to provide a place of remembrance, comfort and reflection for those left behind. It is the hope of our committee that this will also serve as a place of renewal for future generations," said Bob Fodero, chairman of the Mayor’s Veterans’ Advisory Committee. “I think veterans will be very pleased that we have recovered the plaques from the Coliseum and transferred the names to this new hall.”
Judy Williams, a longtime member of the committee, is also pleased with the fruition of the project. She had a brother who died in Vietnam in 1970, and knows many New Haven families who have lost loved ones to war. “It’s extremely important for people to know this is happening,” she said. “This is something we’ve worked hard to save for generations to come.”
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Contact Name: Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo
Contact Phone: 203-946-7660
