During World War II, the members of St. Andrew Catholic Church assembled this honor roll to recognize those from the parish who were serving their country in uniform. In all, 120 names were added to the plaque that hung in the church until the
building was demolished on July 24, 1972. Parish member Reid Hanlon, whose name was on the honor roll along with those of his brothers, rescued the plaque from the rubble heap and took it home. After his death, the honor roll passed into the custody of his grandchildren, who recently decided to donate it to the
Rochester-Avon Historical Society.
RAHS members Rod and Susan Wilson spent many hours cleaning and repairing the wood and repainting the letters to restore the honor roll to a condition which allows it to be displayed. RAHS hopes to have it placed in a local museum eventually, but for now it will be on display this weekend at
St. Andrew Catholic Church during the 100th anniversary celebration of the parish. For a list of all of the names on the St. Andrew World War II Honor Roll, click
here.
My Dad (Frank Dzuris Jr) and is on the plaque and it was very touching to see this article. He stood on the steps of the old church on Walnut and dared the wrecking ball operator to hit the church for a second time and stopped the destruction temporarily. It was the most beautiful church on Walnut Street. My Dad just passed away in March and he would have loved to have seen this treasure.
ReplyDeleteThis should have never been part of the destruction but thank you to all of those who saved this beautiful artifact!
Thank you for you comment. Your father, Reid Hanlon and the others on this Honor Roll are the real heroes. We were very honored to be able to restore this back to its original state.
DeleteRod and Susan Wilson