New granite panels installed at Harrison World War II memorial, rededication scheduled

A crew from Clarion Monuments prepares to place the first of 10 new slabs of engraved black granite in the Harrison Honor Roll Memorial on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. The piece includes a collage of historical photos and a quote from Admiral Chester W. Nimitz that is also found at the national World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

A crew from Clarion Monuments installs the first of 10 new slabs of engraved black granite in the Harrison Honor Roll Memorial at Freeport and Springhill roads on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020.

Clarion Monuments installer Kyle Neal (left) and owner Steve Aaron work on lifting one of the black granite slabs engraved with the names of Harrison’s World War II veterans at the township’s Honor Roll Memorial on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. The 10 slabs of granite installed in the restored 75-year-old memorial weigh between 650 and almost 900 pounds each.

The names of Harrison residents who served in World War II have been laser engraved on slabs of black granite quarried in India. The granite replaces the original glass panels in the Harrison Honor Roll Memorial at Freeport and Springhill roads. A rededication is scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 29, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the memorial’s original dedication in 1945.

The Harrison World War II Honor Roll Memorial with all of its new granite panels in place on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020.