March/April 2009
Around the Quads
University War Memorial Dedicated
By Gordon Chenoweth Sauer ’11 Arts
Room 523 of Butler Library was a place for reflection and remembrances on the evening of December 12. That’s when the Columbia University War Memorial, which honors Columbians who gave their lives in the performance of American, uniformed military service as a result of service-related injuries during any war or recognized conflict/campaign dating back to the American Revolution, was unveiled and dedicated. The memorial is housed in Butler, near the main entrance.
University Trustees Chair Bill Campbell ’62 helped make the memorial possible and spoke at its dedication.The Columbia ROTC Color Guard presented three flags — those of the Army, Columbia and the United States — in a formal procession to start the event, and the lights bounced off the brass of the military uniforms donned by alumni and branch representatives. Provost Alan Brinkley spoke of the significance of the unveiling that he called “a wonderful event for the University.” President Lee C. Bollinger stressed the importance of the memorial to the Columbia community. “We think of public service in the University as something that is deep in our mission,” he said. “There is no greater public service than that which is honored by the event this evening.”
Following Bollinger, University Trustees Chair Bill Campbell ’62, whose generosity brought the memorial to fruition, spoke about the need for it: “This is an emotional night. This is a long time coming, and we’ll take it. I wonder today in the society we have if people forget how important this kind of service is.”
A key term for the night was service — service to the University, service to the military and service to the country. Toni Coffee ’56 Barnard was careful to distinguish the War Memorial as a memorial of remembrance. “We are not memorializing war,” she said in her speech, “but remembering those who have fallen. It is a tribute.” Coffee praised the memorial, calling it “an elegant design, an ideal location and an innovative approach.”
The final speaker of the night, Lt. Col. Eliot Goldman ’79 of the Army Reserves, spoke of the “great alumni who formed the conscience of Columbia after WWII and served alongside those we commemorate today … people such as NROTC Cadet Dean Henry Coleman ’46, combat medic Professor James P. Shenton ’49 and author Lt. Herman Wouk ’34.
PHOTOS: CHAR SMULLYAN“Imagine the great potential of those we lost, those we honor today — those who live only in our memory and through those they knew,” he continued. “Thanks to this new, living memorial, we can get to know them.”
The memorial is complemented by the Columbia University Roll of Honor (www.warmemorial.columbia.edu.) Log on to read about those lost or to contribute information.
All of the evening’s participants were invited to don a crepe paper poppy, long a symbol of those lost in military service. The poppies were handmade and provided by the American Legion, which also provided the poppy wreath that decorated the plaque.
As part of the dedication, one wall exhibited photos from the WWI and WWII eras documenting Columbia’s history of service in and dedication to the military.