Rising Stars: Meet Tom Kneeland of Gahanna

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Kneeland.

Hi Tom, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
The Gahanna Veterans Memorial Park was the idea of several local WWII veterans who were passionate about recognizing all local Veterans of all branches on the United States Military who served in war time and peace time. The details of the idea and plan are outlined below.

There are approximately 10,000 bricks in the plaza of the Veterans memorial and it currently has over 2600 bricks engraved with the names of men and women who have served or are currently serving our Country. There are also two expansion areas on each side of the memorial capable of holding an additional 5,000 bricks for a total of 20,000 bricks.

Planning for the park began in 1996 with the first donation coming from The Kroger Company in December 1997 in the amount of $1000.00. Work began on the park in 1998 and the memorial was officially dedicated with all of the granite amenities in place on Memorial Day 2000.

A well known local architect, George Parker, was asked to design this new public space that would memorialize our Veterans through the engraved brick program that was established in 1998 identifying these war time and peace time Military Veterans with Gahanna connections.

The memorial sits on the site of the former Gahanna Discovery Park where Johnstown Road dead-ends at Big Walnut Creek. VFW Post 4719 also donated a small parcel of land at the south end of the park to the city in 1998. This was done so the memorial was large enough to allow for 20,000 engraved bricks.

There are three memorial trees planted at the rear of the memorial with bronze plaques honoring three local Veterans. Two of these plaques were moved from the Gahanna Senior Center (the original site of the Gahanna branch of the Columbus Public Library) to the new Veterans Memorial Park after being discovered buried under the soil in flower beds where they lay for many years. The third plaque is in memory of a local Gahanna Lincoln High School graduate who was killed during the war in Iraq.

The 14-foot, 5-sided monolith made from the same black granite used to construct the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC, was mined in South Africa, and came to the United States by ship through the St. Lawrence Seaway into Canada. It then made its way through Minnesota before arriving in Ohio. Bronze medallions for the 5 branches of the military are attached to each side of the monolith which is topped with an eternal flame.

There are four (4) granite benches flanking the plaza and a time capsule container that were made from granite panels removed from the front of the Franklin County Veteran’s Memorial in downtown Columbus, Ohio after it was remodeled. The benches are inscribed as follows:

DEDICATED TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED
WHO GAVE THEIR FULL MEASURE FOR GOD AND COUNTRY
TO PRESERVE FREEDOM AND LIBERTY FOR US ALL
THROUGH US THEY WILL LIVE FOREVER AND NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

A service flag from the original 5 military branches fly on poles around the monolith, serving as the centerpiece of the Memorial where the eternal flame burns brightly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

There is a time capsule designed into the memorial and the contents were gathered from local schools, service organizations, residents and original committee members. The enclosure with the time capsule was sealed on Veteran’s Day 2000 and is to be opened on Veteran’s Day, 2050.

The memorial is flanked by “Founder’s Field” with 7 additional memorial trees honoring founding members of the Gahanna Veterans Memorial Committee who are deceased.

Since the park was designed to accommodate 20,000 engraved Veteran bricks the park should live long into the future honoring all Veterans and especially those with engraved bricks.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Over the 28 years since the park’s inception there have been few struggles as important as planning and executing the 2 annual events, Memorial Day and Veterans Day, which are the 2 annual events with regular programs. The biggest problem faced by the Gahanna Veterans Memorial committee have been the planning of the annual events to keep them fresh, interesting and with new faces and backgrounds willing to speak and be available to tell their story.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I led 2 separate paths in life, a private sector technology professional specializing in data communication services linking large mainframe computer systems to remote job entry sites, and a public sector life as a City Council member for 18 years and 4 years as a local city Mayor.

Having 2 diverse paths in life was sometimes a struggle but very rewarding to be able to affect change in 2 very different environments.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
By volunteering and offering your talents to others and fraternal organizations, I’ve found it very rewarding when projects surface that your talents can be utilized. Everyone has a talent that they can share with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gahannavets.org
• Facebook: Gahanna Veterans Memorial