Veterans Memorial unveiled downtown
Courtesy Photo / Ken VanderWal The GVSU Veteran’s Memorial mural located in the Central Utilities Building, painted by Joey Salamon
Apr 7, 2011
Grand Valley State University unveiled to the public its first veterans memorial on Sunday as part of weekend celebration honoring the country’s military service men and women.
The reveal of the 14-by-11 mural, which depicts a bald eagle flying in front of an American flag, was held in conjunction with a documentary on the Vietnam War and a 5-kilometer run celebrating returning soldiers.
Located near the entrance of the Allendale Campus’ Central Utilities Building, the mural joins the American flag in front of the Student Services Building as a reminder of the sacrifices our veterans have made to protect our country, said Jeff Marcinkowski, GVSU assistant maintenance supervisor.
“It was created as a constant reminder of veterans past and veterans future,” said Marcinkowski, who served in the Navy and Coast Guard and oversaw the development of the mural in the CUB.
The mural’s creator, recent GVSU art and design graduate Joey Salamon, said he was excited for the opportunity to work at his alma mater, but first he had one question: “Where is the Central Utilities Building?”
When Salamon found the brown-brick building tucked behind the Department of Public Safety, he wondered why the university chose such an unknown building as the site for its first official veterans memorial.
“That particular location in the CUB is a good site for the mural because many current employees who served in our armed forces go through the utilities building and can be proud of their own personal service and the commitment made by others,” said Thomas J. Haas, GVSU president.
Salamon said after listening to the veterans that work in the CUB, he realized that the mural was more about what they wanted on the wall than what he wanted to create.
“Veterans see a waving American flag in ways that everybody else takes for granted. The general public sees a hollow form of iconography that isn’t personal until something like 9/11 happens,” Salamon said. “Symbols of America switch instantly from being cliche to something that people take pride in.”
