LA PLUME TWP. - The path to Harris Hall from the center of Keystone College now marks the school's past and continuing commitment to veterans.
A new monument, erected by the college Armed Forces Club, was dedicated Tuesday after two years of fundraising and planning. The black granite memorial in the shape of a keystone is engraved with a battlefield cross and the logos of the five military branches as well as the symbol of those missing in action or prisoners of war.
Keystone President Edward G. Boehm Jr. said the new memorial complements the college's original one: Harris Hall, the school's first building. The college was founded as the first high school between Scranton and Binghamton in the years after the Civil War in part to educate returning soldiers or their children.
"This is a special day for those who served or are serving," he said. "When you go out, you deploy, you return, we're here waiting for you."
Wendy Kramer, coordinator of veteran services, said the students wanted a permanent memorial on campus, "a place where people can reflect and never forget."
She noted that many of Keystone's student veterans are in the reserve forces, so they might deploy and return repeatedly throughout their college careers.
Army Spc. Valissa Browning, a senior from Springville Twp. and the club president, emphasized that commitment by naming five students who could not attend the dedication ceremony because they are preparing for deployment.
Keystone was crucial to her own transition back into civilian life after serving in Iraq, she said.
"We wanted something honoring all those who proudly served," she said. "Now we have something physical honoring veterans."
Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com