A special ceremony held Tuesday, September 23, rededicated several Crimson Maple memorial trees at Churchville Elementary School.
Renovation work at the school this summer necessitated the removal of some of the trees which make up a Veterans Memorial in the front lawn entrance area of CES located in the village. Gilbert Budd, Commander of the Harvey C. Noone American Legion Post #954, and the school organized the September 23 rededication ceremony for the new trees.
Budd spoke during the ceremonies. “We are here today to show the renewal of life and our dedication to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice by planting the new trees in their honor,” he said. He also explained the history of the community’s memorial to their war dead, which goes back to the end of World War II.
“A local resident, Bessie Chapman, the Harvey C. Noone Post 594, and several Junior Red Cross girls embarked on a program to honor local students who had died while serving our nation in war,” Budd said. “They chose to plant eight Crimson Maples in front of the now Churchville Elementary school for each person who gave their life fighting for their country in WWII. Since then, we have planted two more Crimson Maples, for students who died in the Korean and Viet Nam conflicts.”
In addition to planting new maples to replace those removed, the school replaced the old flagpole and re-landscaped the area. The changes have helped to make the Memorial Stone located in the circle with the flagpole more visible and prominent, organizers said.
During the ceremonies, Budd presented an American flag flown over the nation’s Capitol on September 15, 2014, and a certificate to Churchville-Chili School Superintendent Lori Orologio. The flag was provided courtesy of Representative Chris Collins.
Churchville-Chili school band members under the direction of Kevin Mead performed patriotic music while those in attendance viewed the trees and memorial. Fourth graders performed the National Anthem during the ceremonies.
Trees were rededicated for the following deceased veterans: John Lazoration, Charles Tower, Edward Piotrowski, Maynard Carmer, Kenneth Ross, Scott Bechtold, Kenneth Boughner, Dean Smith, Stanley Andrews, Robert Adams.
Organizers said they hoped the ceremony would be an opportunity to both honor these former students as well as teach and inspire today’s students about American history.
