[171] MTSU Memorial To Be Celebrated As Tribute To Heroes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 2, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU MEMORIAL TO BE CELEBRATED AS TRIBUTE TO HEROES
Wall and Plaza Built with Donations, Result of Four Years of Planning and Working

(MURFREESBORO) – As part of MTSU’s 28th annual Salute to Armed Forces/Veterans Day activities, the MTSU Veterans Memorial Committee will celebrate the completion of the wall and the implantation of commemorative brick pavers at the memorial site with a formal ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in front of the Tom H. Jackson Building on the campus.

A multibranch color guard, remarks by special guests and the playing of “Taps” are among the tributes on the ceremonial agenda. A time capsule containing publicity, fundraising memorabilia, photos and blueprints, among other items, will be embedded in the ground near the memorial after the ceremony.

The idea to construct a permanent memorial to members of the MTSU community who perished in military service originated with Dr. Andrei Korobkov, associate professor of political science. He was inspired by the death of Army 1st Lt. Ken Ballard, a student in three of Korobkov’s classes. Ballard was killed in Iraq in 2004.

“MTSU's veterans have given so much to this campus and community,” says Dr. Robb McDaniel, associate professor of political science and chair of the MTSU Veterans Memorial Committee. “We hope that they and their families will find this memorial to be a fitting tribute to their service."

Dr. Derek Frisby, assistant professor of history and Marine veteran of Operation Desert Storm, has accumulated a database of 63 names going back to World War I. These names are engraved on the north side of the wall, a bisected light gray polished granite structure.

On the south side of the wall are the words “TO SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION” and an assemblage of stars. A matching granite podium is positioned between the two sections of the wall. On the podium are inscribed the words, “TO THOSE WHO WERE STUDENTS FIRST WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY WITH HONOR.”

Beige brick pavers purchased by donors and engraved with their special messages are arranged in a plaza around the university seal in front of the north side of the wall. Both the wall and the plaza are designed to accommodate additional names and pavers, respectively, through the years.

Nestled beneath magnolia trees, the area is designed to be used as an outdoor classroom, a venue for formal ceremonies or a place for quiet reflection. The placement of benches around the memorial and decorative landscaping contribute to the pleasant atmosphere.

The MTSU Foundation’s Special Projects Board granted $5,000 of start-up money to help pay for design and construction. The rest of the funding comes from private donations.

To submit names of MTSU faculty, students, staff or administrators who died in the line of duty for consideration to be added to the wall, contact Dr. Frisby at 615-494-8856 or dfrisby@mtsu.edu. For more information, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/military/memorial/index.shtml.

Tax-deductible contributions to the memorial can be made by mail to MTSU Veterans Memorial Fund, c/o MTSU Foundation, P.O. Box 109, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. On-line donations can be made at http://www.mtsu.edu/~devofc/giving.html. Information about automatic bank drafts also is available on the Web site. To donate by phone with Visa or MasterCard, call 615-898-2502 or 1-877-444-6878.


--30—


ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpeg photos of construction on the MTSU Veterans Memorial, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.


With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.