(Photos used with permission. You can see the university's official memorial website
here, and read letters about the memorial at the
Saint Mary's University Voices on the Veterans Memorial home page.)
Since 2003, the Saint Mary’s University Alumni Association has been working to raise about $100,000 to build a Veterans Memorial on the Winona campus. The memorial was initially meant to honor the 33 Saint Mary’s University students and alumni who died while fighting in World War II. At some point during the planning process, it was decided that the memorial should honor all students and alumni who have been part of the U.S. military. The funds necessary to build the memorial have come from charitable donations to the Saint Mary’s University Alumni Association Board.
In a Nov. 20 memo, the SMU Cabinet and Brother Chancellor Louis DeThomasis approved groundbreaking on the memorial for spring of 2003, with a dedication ceremony tentatively planned for Homecoming, June 13-15. The memorial is to be located on the path between the plaza and Hillside Hall, north of Gostomski Fieldhouse; the site is near the former site of the barracks that housed young men training to be officers in the Navy V-12 Program from 1943 to 1946.
The original memorial design incorporated numerous elements. The most prominent feature of the original memorial design was five arches representing the five branches of the military. According to the Nov. 20 memo, the memorial was also to feature an honor roll of alumni who have died in the military; identification of the site of the V-12 program barracks; the plaque that
was presented to Saint Mary’s College after World War II by the Secretary of the Navy in recognition of the V-12 program (displayed in the west entrance of Saint Mary’s Hall for many years); and a “dedication to all those who have served in the armed forces.” The memorial was designed in such a way that, on Nov. 11 (the traditional date for Veterans Day), a beam of light would fall on the honor roll of alumni who have died while in the military. Bricks inscribed with the names of veterans honored by those who donated more than $250 to the project will line the walkways leading up the memorial. A memorial plaque will read: “Lord, may your perpetual light shine upon them.” According to Mr. Tim Tyre, a member of the Alumni Association Board, the memorial “is a quiet, respectful way of saying thank you” to those who died while in the U.S. military.
A letter expressing concern about the memorial was signed by about 30 members of the faculty in the spring of 2006. That letter precipitated a meeting between two faculty members and then-president Brother Craig Franz over the summer. Ultimately, the concerns were brought to the alumni board, which opted to continue supporting the project. In the fall of 2006, Brother Craig gave permission for the project to go ahead provided that the necessary funds could be raised within a year.
In the fall of 2007 the Alumni Association Board sent out a fundraising letter to some, but not all, SMU alumni. That letter, which presented participation in the military as an exemplar of the Lasallian ideal of service, prompted some alumni, faculty, and students to write letters of concern to Brother Chancellor Louis DeThomasis and the Alumni Association Board.
Subsequently, Brother DeThomasis and other university staff held several meetings with concerned alumni and students, as well as a campus forum to share information and thoughts about the memorial. On February 9, 2008, the Board of Trustees discussed the concerns that had been raised and voted to redesign the memorial in an attempt to address some of those concerns while keeping the construction and dedication of the memorial on schedule.
The redesigned memorial retains certain elements of the original design, but removes the five arches representing the five branches of the military, replacing them with a glass panel inscribed with an olive branch. The panel reads, "Peace through service"; its base says "Veterans Memorial." One of five small pillars bears a plaque with words from the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding military service. A full description of the revised design can be found at the University website.
The concerns that people have voiced about the memorial range so widely that no attempt is made here to summarize them. Rather, some of their letters will be posted on this site; they speak for themselves. Read those letters at the Saint Mary's University Voices on the Veterans Memorial home page, and then
submit your own letter.
was presented to Saint Mary’s College after World War II by the Secretary of the Navy in recognition of the V-12 program (displayed in the west entrance of Saint Mary’s Hall for many years); and a “dedication to all those who have served in the armed forces.” The memorial was designed in such a way that, on Nov. 11 (the traditional date for Veterans Day), a beam of light would fall on the honor roll of alumni who have died while in the military. Bricks inscribed with the names of veterans honored by those who donated more than $250 to the project will line the walkways leading up the memorial. A memorial plaque will read: “Lord, may your perpetual light shine upon them.” According to Mr. Tim Tyre, a member of the Alumni Association Board, the memorial “is a quiet, respectful way of saying thank you” to those who died while in the U.S. military.
