September 30, 2004 – page A5
By Eric Gross
Brewster - Officials on the state, county, town and village levels converged on downtown Brewster to meet with Village engineer John Folchetti.
Last Friday's gathering outlined plans for Southeast's new Honor Roll that recognizes all veterans residing in greater Brewster who served in the United States military during time of war.
Folchetti has conceived a monument that will replace the current honor roll located off Main Street adjacent to the Brewster Public Library.
The new honor roll will be created in the form of a "golden mean" that Folchetti called the "most naturally recurring relationship in nature. It is a basic relationship of 1.6 to one. The 'golden mean' can be seen in the human forearm or in the bow of a tree. In ever decreasing rectangles of 1.6 to one relationships, we end up with a perfect arc found in a conch or snail shell."
Folchetti will be designing in bricks, each containing a donor's name, along a red arc for design. Old Glory will be prominently displayed at the apex of the design.
Walkways will also be installed as well as plantings.
The honor roll will consist of five stand-alone monuments of stainless steel uprights supporting New York state slate fronted by engraved half-inch glass to be etched by Brewster Village Trustee John Degnan, who is part of the volunteer service.
The glass will be lit as will the flagpole for dramatic nighttime viewing.
Degnan said 1,000 names would be engraved by use of computerized images. "The decision was reached after we studied the geometry of the park and determined an esthetically pleasing way to present the architecture. The names are the art," he said.
Ron Lipschitz, Commander of the Brewster Veterans or Foreign Wars post, said the purchase of bricks will help pay for the project. "The bricks sell for $125 a piece. Checks can be made payable to the Brewster VFW Post 672, Box 54. Brewster. NY 10509."
Lipschitz has requested the words “honor roll brick” be placed on the memo of the check.
The Commander also appealed to the public that “dignity be preserved” when it comes to the message on the individual bricks.
Denis Castelli, a Vietnam veteran, also serves on the committee. Castelli does not qualify to have his name listed on the honor roll because when he served overseas, he resided in the Bronx. "My personal solution is simple. I'm buying a brick and placing it in the pavement so I can be a part of this memorial as well," he said.
"This is a great way for a community to recall, remember and to honor those who have served our nation throughout generations of battles. The memorial will be refurbished and redesigned in part with money obtained from the New York State Senate. This is a particularly flitting time since sadly we find America in conflict," said Sen. `Vincent Leibell.