Tekes Raise $14,500 for Veterans Memorial

STEUBENVILLE, OH—This year, Veterans Day at Franciscan University of Steubenville will not only commemorate those who have sacrificed everything for their country, but will also mark the groundbreaking for a Veterans Memorial to be built on campus.

Alumni of the Kappa-Alpha chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon have spent the past two years gathering donations from alumni of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s to build a Veterans Memorial on campus. The memorial grew from an initial idea of donating a flagpole to the University.

Inspired by Frater Whitey Schoff '66, who died in Vietnam as a United States Marine, Fraters Ray Challis '67 and Dan Schmidt '67 collaborated to raise $14,500 from alumni for the memorial, which is intended to honor all veterans from the school's founding as the College of Steubenville.

"The memorial will not be a mausoleum, or a grand edifice of marble and stone," said Challis. "Rather, it will be a gathering place where students can sit, relax, talk, and ponder those who have served this great country."

The memorial will be located across the street from Ss. Louis and Elizabeth Hall on the lawn of the J.C. Williams Center, overlooking the rain garden and the lower plaza area. Surrounded by cement benches, the central point of the memorial will be a flagpole and plaque.

The ceremony will feature a speech by Schmitt, a formal sounding of "Taps," a blessing of the site by Alumni Chaplain Father Dan Pattee, TOR, and a ceremonial groundbreaking.

The ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, and will last approximately 45 minutes. The public is invited to attend.

Construction for the memorial will commence shortly after the groundbreaking. The memorial will be completed by spring 2016, or sooner, depending on the weather.

Adapted from Franciscan University of Steubenville

For more information, please contact:

Daniel Klopfenstein
Communications Specialist
317.872.6533
DKlopfenstein@tke.org