Legacy Lawn Unveiled at Veterans Day Celebration
Legacy Lawn Unveiling and Reception
It was a stunning day on November 11, 2023, as over 150 attendees gathered at the Middlesex Public Library front lawn for the unveiling of the first Middlesex Borough Legacy Lawn. The lawn was decorated with 116 signs of veterans from town from the 1940’s until present day, noting their service, rank, achievements, and pictures.
Veterans in town were encouraged to fill out a Legacy Lawn form (found on the Library website and at the American Legion) to submit their information for inclusion in the Legacy Lawn. The Library will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis. Signs will be displayed on the lawn from November 11 until December 11, and then put in storage for the Winter. They will return to the lawn (with any new additions as well) over Memorial Day weekend. Every year the Library will maintain the records and signs and add to the database of veterans for the Legacy Lawn.
Library Director Chrissy George, who started and managed the project with Reference Librarian Kristin Bennett, partnered with Helena Gaither, Commander of the American Legion John W Lupu Memorial Post 306 on the Legacy Lawn. The project was supported by the Middlesex Public Library Board of Trustees and Mayor and Council.
Speakers for the unveiling included Library Director Chrissy George, Mayor John Madden, Library Board President Jim Benson, and First Vice Commander of the American Legion, Matt Adams.
“I’ve never been prouder to be a resident of Middlesex than I am today, because of this,” Adams noted. “What I love about today’s ceremony is that we’re able to say thank you.”
“Over the past two months, our Library staff have heard amazing, beautiful, moving stories of resilience, compassion, bravery, friendship, connection, and patriotism from the vets, their families, and loved ones, reflecting on the ultimate sacrifices made in the face of war,” Director George said. “As a Library, our goal is to educate and to continue promoting lifelong learning, and what better way to do that than to encourage the sharing of these stories between families, between friends, creating spaces for history to grow and teach and pass down. These 116 signs represent the history: of our country, of our Middlesex, of families and friends and loved ones and sacrifice and dedication.”
“Serving in the military, even in peace time, is a sacrifice and should never be taken for granted,” Library Board President and former Police Chief, Jim Benson, told the crowd.
After the ceremony, the American Legion’s annual Veteran’s Day event took place, followed by a reception inside the Legion.
The Library will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis for inclusion in the Legacy Lawn. For more information, please check the article from this summer’s announcement here.
Mayor Madden’s Speech at the Veterans Day Ceremony
“Never was so much owed by so many to so few” This famous quote by Winston Churchill is as relevant, timeless and immortal today as it was back in 1940.
Sadly, so many people around the world live each day in the grip of tyranny and oppression without enjoying the many freedoms of life, peace, liberty and the pursuit of happiness which should be ubiquitous. We have come to enjoy these “natural rights” to espouse our quality of life.
The world today may be on the precipice again of what we dreadfully feared most during the cold war years; the specter of M.A,D. (Mutually Assured Destruction). As we wait, implacable measures are being interwoven within the fabric of a realistic far-reaching destruction of humankind.
So today let us revere this very special day to truly honor all our veterans and their families who answered the call to duty to embrace and sustain our way of life in defense of democracy.
We are gathered here in solemn commemoration of this memorable day of peace and unity.
In the words of JFK :
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them“
Thank you,
Mayor John L. Madden