Clarksburg Rededicates Town Honor Roll on Veterans Day
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CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The crowd was bigger 30 years ago the last time the Clarksburg honor roll was dedicated.
U.S. Rep. Silvio O. Conte was there, the Berkshires then state Sen. Peter Webber and state Rep. Frank J. Matrango. And the parents of Peter A. Cook, for whom the post is named.
The North Adams Transcript published a supplement for the dedication on that Memorial Day in 1986 filled with congratulatory ads from businesses — many now long gone — and the names and pictures of those on the honor roll.
On Friday morning, a small group of townspeople and veterans gathered again for a short dedication to observing Veterans Day and the newly refurbished Town Hall facade, largely done by McCann Technical School, that prominently features the American flag-stye honor roll.
"There was a wooden honor roll out here for many years, maybe 60 or 70 years old," said Edward Denault of Peter A. Cook Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9144. "It had decayed beyond repair. In 1986, we redesigned the honor roll so already 30 years have gone by. ...
"It's nice to be able to walk up here on this porch and look on this board and see your brothers, your fathers, your uncles. It's an honor. Thank you, McCann School very much."
That old wooden monument was replaced with the framed flag made of plastic stripes and stars featuring every Clarksburg resident who has so far served in foreign wars dating to World War I. The latest are from the Vietnam War, including Cook.
"It was historic, but it was sad. It was late as '75 when he died," Deneault said later at the following reception. "He actually shielded four or five members of his squad from an explosive device. ... It was just before the fall of Hanoi and everybody was pulling back ... it was late for somebody to die."
The bulk of the names, more than 300, are from World War II, a significant achievement for a town of 1,317 in 1940; the population is now about 1,700. Each name is on a strip or star that can be removed, and there are still blanks along the bottom for new names. The old honor was made of wood slats with the names wood-burned on.
Denault said the "new" honor roll was made by John Brooks, who had owned a trophy and rubber stamp store across from Sprague Electric. The building, which had also housed Landmark Credit Union at one point, was razed some years ago.
It's the new facade, however, that really sets the honor roll off and was the purpose of the dedication that included an address on the sacrifices of veterans, the Pledge of Allegiance, a color guard, bagpipes and a bugle.
Town Administrator Carl McKinney had spearheaded the effort to rejuvenate the deteriorating front of the former Briggsville School. Donations in "modest amounts," to more than a $1,000 from the VFW and $500 from Adams Community Bank helped to fund the materials. McCann students spent the early fall repairing areas and installing a new gray, simulated shingle vinyl siding that makes the red, white and blue memorial pop.
Volunteers and town workers also removed the overgrown bushes that blocked the view and installed pipe railing on the porch. The columns and moldings were given a new coat of paint.
McKinney said he was elated that the work was completed.
"It's been a long, long process," he said. "We're a better community for it. I think that speaks well of the community and I think it speaks well of our schools that our students participated. Thank you to the community, thank you to McCann Tech."
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