Untitled Document

MISSION

"The mission of the Berwyn Veterans Memorial is to visually honor those individuals of the Tredyffrin-Easttown community who served in the armed services, in particular, those 'who gave their last full measure of devotion' in the service of their country."

Berwyn, Pennsylvania straddles two townships (Tredyffrin and Easttown) within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. During the year 2004, Easttown celebrated their tri-centennial year. Tredyffrin will celebrate their tri-centennial in 2007. Both townships share a common high school ( Conestoga High School) which underwent a major expansion in 2004.

Berwyn is one of the few towns in the area that did not have a memorial dedicated to the service of men and women who served and may have given their lives for our country. As part of a separate effort, a local group was formed to raise funds to construct such a memorial to honor our townships servicemen and women. Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Curt Weldon served as Honorary Chairs for this committee.

The memorial was installed at the Berwyn Septa train station with the principal portion of the memorial on the south end of the pedestrian bridge at the station along Route 30. Included in this phase of the memorial are an existing plaque honoring veterans who were called to service in WWI with additional new plaques honoring veterans who were killed in service in Tredyffrin and Easttown townships in WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam. The memorial is a modern 28 foot high, three dimensional arch made of stainless steel, anchored to the foundation. An American flag hangs prominently in the justify.

Architectural services were donated by Lyman Perry Architects, Ltd., Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Fixed pricing was secured from Florig Steel in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and they also donated a portion of their time and effort as part of the Memorial cause. Final site approval was obtained from SEPTA, AMTRAK, and Easttown Township for the Memorial. Construction was completed in the Summer of 2005, and on September 10, 2005, the Memorial was formally dedicated.

There are two other construction activities to take place following the construction of the arch. The second phase is to include the construction of a memorial flagpole and a small garden at the north end of the pedestrian bridge at the Berwyn train station. This will tie in the theme of transition from conflict to peace as one walks across the bridge from one township to the other. A third phase will include the construction of a wall of memorabilia from the various wars. We envision this wall to be made of a clear material to allow the items to be seen from all sides.

As part of this effort, Conestoga High School's social studies department has involved its students in research for the project. They have helped supply names of soldiers who attended the local schools who were killed in action. An extension of the project may include a commemoration of all those killed or at least buried within the township borders starting with the French and Indian War. This data is already available to a large degree through a previous research project. With the help of the high school students and volunteers, we may be one, if not the only, town in the Commonwealth with such a memorial.

This is a project that should take about two years to complete from its start in 2004. As such, we need funding through the completion of the project. The bulk of the funding will be raised in the initial phase but we will need additional support to see the project through to completion. On-site maintenance will be handled by the townships.


	MISSION "The mission of the Berwyn Veterans Memorial is to visually honor those individuals of the Tredyffrin-Easttown community who served in the armed services, in particular, those 'who gave their last full measure of devotion' in the service of their country." Berwyn, Pennsylvania straddles two townships (Tredyffrin and Easttown) within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. During the year 2004, Easttown celebrated their tri-centennial year. Tredyffrin will celebrate their tri-centennial in 2007. Both townships share a common high school ( Conestoga High School) which underwent a major expansion in 2004. Berwyn is one of the few towns in the area that did not have a memorial dedicated to the service of men and women who served and may have given their lives for our country. As part of a separate effort, a local group was formed to raise funds to construct such a memorial to honor our townships servicemen and women. Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Curt Weldon served as Honorary Chairs for this committee. The memorial was installed at the Berwyn Septa train station with the principal portion of the memorial on the south end of the pedestrian bridge at the station along Route 30. Included in this phase of the memorial are an existing plaque honoring veterans who were called to service in WWI with additional new plaques honoring veterans who were killed in service in Tredyffrin and Easttown townships in WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam. The memorial is a modern 28 foot high, three dimensional arch made of stainless steel, anchored to the foundation. An American flag hangs prominently in the justify. Architectural services were donated by Lyman Perry Architects, Ltd., Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Fixed pricing was secured from Florig Steel in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and they also donated a portion of their time and effort as part of the Memorial cause. Final site approval was obtained from SEPTA, AMTRAK, and Easttown Township for the Memorial. Construction was completed in the Summer of 2005, and on September 10, 2005, the Memorial was formally dedicated. There are two other construction activities to take place following the construction of the arch. The second phase is to include the construction of a memorial flagpole and a small garden at the north end of the pedestrian bridge at the Berwyn train station. This will tie in the theme of transition from conflict to peace as one walks across the bridge from one township to the other. A third phase will include the construction of a wall of memorabilia from the various wars. We envision this wall to be made of a clear material to allow the items to be seen from all sides. As part of this effort, Conestoga High School's social studies department has involved its students in research for the project. They have helped supply names of soldiers who attended the local schools who were killed in action. An extension of the project may include a commemoration of all those killed or at least buried within the township borders starting with the French and Indian War. This data is already available to a large degree through a previous research project. With the help of the high school students and volunteers, we may be one, if not the only, town in the Commonwealth with such a memorial. This is a project that should take about two years to complete from its start in 2004. As such, we need funding through the completion of the project. The bulk of the funding will be raised in the initial phase but we will need additional support to see the project through to completion. On-site maintenance will be handled by the townships.