Fostoria Focus - January 28, 2004

Veterans Committee has Designs on Chapel
By Leonard Skonecki

The Veterans Memorial Chapel Committee made a major decision and received a substantial donation at its Thursday meeting at the City Building.

After two rounds of design entries, the committee has selected the design for the stained glass window which will face Van Buren Street. It also received a $3,750 donation from the Fostoria Women's Club.

The committee chose a design which incorporates elements from two separate submissions, one by Samantha Sayer and a second by Dean Mosier and John Cockie. Altogether, 19 new submissions were reviewed in addition to the 18 reviewed at the December meeting.

The window measures roughly 5 feet wide by 15 feet tall. Ten glass panels will be fitted together to form the complete design.

The design has an American flag ruffling in the wind at the top. The rest of the design shows a rifle driven into the ground by its bayonet with a helmet resting on the rifle stock and dog tags hanging from the sight. In the foreground are the words, "All Gave Some, Some Gave All."

Samantha is the daughter-in-law of Arnie Sayre, commander of the AMVETS Post 69, and a math teacher at Lakota High School.

Dean is the former adjutant of the American Legion Post 73 and has served as an officer and trustee for several veterans and fraternal organizations. John is the commander of the Sons of the American Legion.

Many of the designs had to be rejected – not because they weren't good, but simply because they could not be translated into stained glass.

Linda Radcliff of R&L Stained Glass will make the window.

The total cost of the window is $15,000. Fostoria's funeral directors – Mann-Hare Funeral Home, Hoening Funeral Home and Harrold-Floriana Funeral Home have donated half the cost.

Leah Hipsher and Fran Matz of the Fostoria Women's Club attended the meeting to make a donation of $3,750 toward the cost of the window.

Greg Smith of Fostoria Monument continues to work on the pavers.

The committee wants people to know that if they want a paver installed before the chapel dedication on Memorial Day, the money and form must be received no later than Feb. 27.
Payment for pavers will be accepted after Feb. 27, but there won't be time to have them cut by Memorial Day.

Paver forms are available at all the veterans posts and at Mayor John Davoli's office. Return the money and form to the mayor's office. Pavers come in two sizes, one for $60 and one for $100.

If a number of family members have purchased pavers and would like to have them installed together, contact Diane Lind at the mayor's office and the committee will do its best to arrange that. For more information, contact the mayor's office at 419-435-8282.