WINNSBORO – With its Memorial Day dedication a little more than a month away, Fairfield County’s World War II monument is entering its final stages. With the foundation poured and the granite slab and its bronze bald eagle topper ordered and on the way, Winnsboro realtor and former Town Councilman Bill Haslett, who has spearheaded the project, is seeking a few additional dollars to add the finishing touches to the monument that will sit on the green at the old Mt. Zion School property, property that is itself destined to become a community park.
Haslett is also seeking support from the Town of Winnsboro for a Memorial Day parade and dedication ceremony that will feature Patrick Cleburne “Clebe” McClary, a former Marine Corps Lieutenant from Pawleys Island who earned three Purple Hearts and a Bronze and Silver Star for his service in Vietnam, as the guest speaker.
The Town and the County together contributed $15,000 in matching funds to the project, and Haslett said altogether he has raised $36,000, which has paid for the monument and the bronze eagle topper that boasts a 48-inch wingspan. Winnsboro’s Grady Phillips, of the Phillips Granite Company, is handling the monument work, while the bronze topper is being cast by an artist in Idaho, Haslett said. Haslett said he is looking for corporate sponsors to help fund lighting, a flag pole and a fountain, which he hopes to add to the site later.
Memorial bricks, which will surround the monument, have been a hot commodity. Haslett said 170 have been sold thus far; and while it is not too late for those interested to order more, Haslett said those would likely have to be added after the Memorial Day dedication. Bricks go for between $100 and $225 and can be ordered at http://www.brickmarkers.com/donors/fairfield.html
Haslett said he will be presenting his request for support of the Memorial Day program to the Town this week.
