Renderings courtesy of Grandview Heights Parks and Recreation
In 2013, Drs. Thomas and Lowell Williams approached the City of Grandview Heights to donate funds for the creation of a statue in Memorial Park. Situated at the intersection of Northwest Boulevard and Oxley Road, the park is now the site of a 7-foot-tall bronze statue of a soldier. He stands next to a rifle planted in the ground with a helmet on top, next to a pair of empty boots. The soldier’s head is bowed, with one hand on the helmet.
The Williams made a second donation to cover most of the funding for a 5-foot base on which the statue rests. On this base reads the inscription the ultimate sacrifice. The statue was dedicated in 2015 as part of the community’s Memorial Day Service.
In August 2016, Tom’s wife, Lowell, passed away at age 90. Shortly thereafter, Tom approached the parks department and city mayor, indicating that he wished to once again donate funds to further improve upon the memorial. Along with a donation of $300,000 was Tom’s desire for members of the community to not just drive by the park, but to stop, approach the statue, take a seat, and actually remember and reflect on the sacrifices that have been made.
Renderings courtesy of Grandview Heights Parks and Recreation
Through a series of redesigns and cost analyses conducted by the parks advisory board, a final design was agreed upon. There will be five additional monuments constructed around the bronze soldier statue. The number five is important, as it represents the five branches of the military.
Mike Patterson, director of parks and recreation for the city of Grandview Heights feels not only a sense of excitement for the unveiling, but pride as well. The 10-foot monuments need to be viewed in person in order to receive the full impact, in his opinion.
“They’re 10 feet tall, but until you actually go into the plaza there, the online renderings don’t do them justice,” Patterson says. “It’s breathtaking and they’re almost larger than life, which is what the desire of the design was, and Dr. Tom’s vision.”
He believes that the community at large should feel that same sense of pride.
A ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the park improvements are scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. Members of the Grandview city council will be in attendance, as well as representatives of the Village of Marble Cliff, which also donated funding. All community members are invited to congregate and honor past, present and future sacrifices made by veterans, including Dr. Thomas Williams.
Nathan Collins is a managing editor. Feedback welcome at ncollins@cityscenemediagroup.com.
