2009 News
May 22, 2009
“We All Owe So Much to So Many”
Commissioners Join Veterans to Commemorate Memorial Day Weekend at Historic World War I Fountain
As a group of well-mannered kindergarten students from Doylestown’s Building Blocks Learning Center listened intently this morning, Bucks County Commissioners Charles H. Martin, chairman, and Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW teamed with county Military and Veterans Affairs Director Dan Fraley and Korean War veteran Jerry Jonas to “unofficially start a great and patriotic Memorial Day weekend,” as Fraley put it. The brief annual ceremony of remembrance included turning on the water in the William Mercer, Jr.-designed World War I fountain.
“Each year, we gather here to remember and pay tribute to our war heroes of all eras, true American patriots who have given their lives in the defense of liberty and freedom,” Chairman Martin told the gathering. During his remarks, he made special mention of Army Staff Sgt. Mark Baum, a Bucks County Corrections officer and soldier in the PA Army National Guard who was killed during February, 2009 in Iraq.
Commissioner Ellis-Marseglia told the children that Memorial Day is “a very important day you’re going to learn about in school.” She also related a story about a POW-MIA bracelet that she holds dear, offering a timely remembrance of Lt. Col. Bernard Conklin.
Keynote speaker Jonas offered several poignant recollections, including a childhood Memorial Day parade that took place in West Philadelphia during the late 1930’s. He remembers seeing older gentlemen with long gray beards, who must have represented an “important piece of American history.” As it turned out, they were Civil War veterans.
Mr. Jonas also spoke of the history of “Decoration Day,” the name given to Memorial Day celebrations when he was a youngster. He offered several stories of his fellow soldiers who gave their lives on the field of battle, including his high-school baseball catcher.
Mr. Fraley closed the ceremony by reciting a pair of quotes, including one of his favorites from President Andrew Jackson: “You must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing.”
Looking on as the water began to flow through the World War I fountain – which was dedicated on May 30, 1922 at a cost of $8,500 – were Lee, Margie and Emilee Rutherford, descendants of Mr. Raymond Rutherford, who was one of two who posed for Mr. Mercer as he designed the bronze statue.
