Gold Star monument in North Canton a first for Stark County

NORTH CANTON — The city is building a monument to honor those who’ve lost the most.

North Canton will break ground on a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument this spring. It will be the first such monument in Stark County and one of a handful across the state.

The monuments honor the loved ones of those who died serving in the military.

Not just parents, children and spouses but “all family members. The whole family, of course, suffers when you lose a family member,” said Dr. Timothy P. Novelli, founder of the Patriot Project and on the board of the North Canton monument project.”The worst things is to be forgotten. ... If we don’t honor and remember — and truly honor and remember — their sacrifice, it makes the wound even deeper,” Novelli said.

“They gave up the most precious thing in their life,” he added. “We want them to know how much we honor their sacrifice. ... We’re forever in their debt.”

The monument is a program of the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation. Williams, 94, a Marine veteran, was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945 for acts of bravery during the battle of Iwo Jima. He’s the sole surviving Medal of Honor recipient to have served in the Marines during World War II.

Williams established his foundation in 2012 with a goal to erect a monument in every state. So far, 39 states have either built a monument or are in the process of building one; the foundation has dedicated 31 monuments and has 51 in the works.

North Canton will be the first Stark County community to have a monument. Medina, Fairfield and Grove City have dedicated monuments and plans are underway to construct monuments in Cleveland, Dayton and Marietta.

The monument will be dedicated July 7 in a ceremony attended by Williams.

Williams is on the board of the Patriot Project. He and Novelli discussed bringing a monument to North Canton several times, but the project really took off in November after the organization’s annual Patriot’s Ball, Novelli said.

Novelli brought up the monument to city leaders, who jumped on board.

Last week, City Council approved an agreement with the foundation for the monument. The city is responsible for finding an appropriate site, hiring an architect or designer, taking care of landscaping and providing electricity. The foundation is responsible for the rest, including the cost of the monument and a $7,500 donation to a city fund for its upkeep.

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