Union to Rededicate Memorial and Unveil Tribute Wall

Union and special guests Ret. Major General Don Storm, the Mountain Warriors, and Army ROTC will rededicate the historic Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Gymnasium on Nov. 12 at 1:30.

Union College will hold a public rededication and blessing of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Gymnasium on Fri., Nov.12, at 1:30 p.m.

The public is invited and there is no charge to attend.

The event will include a keynote address by Retired Major General Donald C. Storm; special music by Eddie Campbell, choir director at Knox Central; and the participation of the 1st Battalion 149th Infantry “Mountain Warriors” and the Army ROTC. Union President Edward de Rosset and Ernie Trosper, a member of Union’s Board of Trustees, will also speak at the ceremony.

As part of the rededication, Union College will unveil the newest addition to the historic building: a Tribute Wall bearing the names of over 300 men and women who have died in service to country, retired from service, or who are actively serving.

Soldiers and Sailors was built in 1919 to provide an indoor athletic space for Union students. Because its construction coincided closely with the end of World War I, college officials chose to build the structure as a memorial to the service men and women who died in the war. Area Methodist churches and local communities donated small gifts in memory of military personnel to help fund its construction.

In 1985, the building was named to the National Register of Historical Places, though, by that point, it had fallen into disrepair and was not in use by the college. When Union completed a campus master plan in 1997, Soldiers and Sailors was slated for demolition. In 2003, however, Union President Ed de Rosset led the effort to reclaim the building. Since that time, the first two phases of its restoration have been completed and Soldiers and Sailors has been returned to full use as a fitness facility and intramural space. The third and final phase is still underway.

As was the case when it was first constructed, area supporters helped fund the renovation through contributions to the Tribute Wall in memory or honor of loved ones. Major donors to the project include the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Anna C. Penny Trust, Ernie Trosper, William S. Stewart, John and Jeannette Ladenburger, Roy and Phyllis Pulliam, Anne Reed and Fred and Sarita Marland.

For more information about the rededication ceremony, contact Union’s Office of Advancement at 546-1659.
   

November 8, 2010

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