By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The names of 112 BGSU students and alumni who left school to serve their country and were killed in combat are now etched into history on campus.
The university dedicated a memorial Wednesday afternoon to those who made a selfless commitment to their nation, said Marilyn Eisele, vice chair of the BGSU Board of Trustees.
“This memorial provides a place of solitude and contemplation,” Eisele said.
The BGSU Veterans Memorial features five pillars — representing the branches of the U.S. military — inscribed with the names of alumni and student service members who died while in service to their country. The memorial includes 112 names, ranging from World War I to the global war on terror in Afghanistan.
“On Veterans Day and every day, Bowling Green State University is proud to honor the service and commitment of those in our nation’s Armed Forces,” BGSU President Rodney Rogers said during the dedication.
“Our newly dedicated Veterans Memorial is a place of reverence. It’s a reminder that our work in shaping our Union at times requires deep loss,” Rogers said. “We will always owe a debt of gratitude to our veterans and this memorial will serve as a special reminder of their unwavering service to these United States.”
The university broke ground on the memorial in 2019, but the idea was first introduced in 2008 when the late, retired Marine Col. Theodore “Ted” Jenkins shared his vision of honoring all BGSU students who served in the Armed Forces with a centralized, easily accessible memorial.
“This was a vision he had to make sure future students, when they walked through campus, that they remember,” Rogers said.
Jenkins was joined in the effort by fellow BGSU alumni and veterans David Chilson, a retired Navy captain, and David Ridenour, retired Army first lieutenant. Retired Army Capt. Edward J. Reiter provided much of the funding to make the BGSU Veterans Memorial a reality.
“We gratefully recognize the generous lead gift from Ed and Linda Reiter that propelled the vision of this memorial into reality,” said Pamela Conlin, vice president for University Advancement and president and CEO of the BGSU Foundation Inc. “Their philanthropic support will have a lasting impact on honoring service at its highest level at BGSU.”
Ridenour worked to ensure the memory and sacrifice of BGSU service members won’t be forgotten by reviewing university records and scouring the federal government’s list of POW/MIA personnel.
Ridenour, a Vietnam veteran, referred to the site on Wednesday as “hallowed grounds.” During World War II, the nearby Kohl Hall was the home of Navy and Marine Corps students training as aviators and officers. After WWII, the old football stadium located on the site of the memorial was a dormitory for returning veterans. And many of the fallen were Army and Air Force ROTC graduates who studied in the nearby Memorial Hall.
Ridenour recounted the stories behind some of the veterans listed on the memorial.
The first name on the memorial is Paul C. Ladd, who was seriously wounded in the Battle of Argonne Forest in World War I, and died of his injuries in 1918. Also listed is his nephew, Paul R. Ladd, who graduated from BGSU in 1941, and went missing in battle in 1943.
Stanley Fisher, class of 1936 and the World Archery Champion at the 1940 New York World’s Fair, was lost when his ship was sunk off Okinawa.
And William Ruth, who served as Marine helicopter pilot in Vietnam, went on to have a 30-year career as an educator while continuing to serve in the Army Reserve including in the Persian Gulf. Ruth retired from teaching and took an Army job at the Pentagon, where he was killed in the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.
Ridenour quoted General George Patton, who suggested that people not mourn for the lost, but “rather we should thank God such people lived.”
At the close of the dedication, the names of all the fallen veterans were read aloud by David Rice, assistant director of the BGSU Office of Non-Traditional and Military Student Services.
“We are grateful to everyone who put in the time and effort to make this memorial a reality,” said Dr. Barbara Henry, assistant vice president of Non-Traditional and Military Student Services. “It has taken a lot of work, but the result is a beautiful, yet simple tribute to our nation’s fallen heroes. It is a very moving place that I hope everyone in the campus community takes time to visit.”
The memorial is located in front of the BGSU Jerome Library and just to the south of Memorial Hall.
“It is a restful and contemplative place that allows anyone to reflect and remember the service members who have given the ultimate sacrifice for us to enjoy our way of life,” Henry said.
