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Remembering America's fallen heroes
May 24, 2006
Ave Maria University's commitment to honoring those who have died in defense of our country can now be seen in material form on the university's interim campus.
"Remembrance," a statue by Timothy P. Schmalz depicting an angel lifting the helmet of a fallen serviceman, was recently donated to AMU by Mr. and Mrs. Clement Cody, Sagamore Hills, Ohio. The statue, which is 10 feet high and weighs approximately 800 pounds, stands behind the Ark of the Covenant student center on AMU's campus, directly across from women's residences Avila and Loyola.
The statue is intended as a memorial to fallen members of all branches of the U.S. armed forces, according to AMU Director of Physical Plant and Security Thomas Minick.
"We thought it would be appropriate to honor a different fallen warrior every month," Minick said. "The name will be displayed on a temporary plaque in front of the statue, and at the end of the month the plaque will be sent to the serviceman's family."
According to Tony Frey, Schmalz's agent who has been working with Cody and the university through the donation process, a miniature version of the statue will also be sent to the deceased's family at Cody's behest.
The first serviceman to be memorialized in this way is Second Lieutenant James Cathey, USMC, who was killed in Iraq in August 2005. Cathey is survived by his wife Katharine and their son James Cathey, Jr., who was born in December 2005.
Minick believes that the memorial will function as a reminder to members of the AMU community of the sacrifices of those who take up arms to defend the U.S. and the cause of freedom. He also hopes that it will bring some comfort to the families of the deceased.
"We want them to know that the university honored them in this way and that our students prayed for them," Minick said.