Jackie Smith’s decade-long vision realized
On Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m., a plaque honoring veterans will be dedicated in the Town of Clarkson’s Veterans Park, on Ridge Road. The park setting with a stone garden, three benches, and a flag waving overhead has been developed over 10 years.
The planning was initiated by Jackie Smith in 2009. She is a Town Board Member and Treasurer for the Clarkson Historical Society. She formed the Veterans Park Committee as chair, and gathered local committee members Don Lage, Cheryl Beardslee, Dave Goodwin, and Pam and Kermit Mercer. They worked on a memorial site where “residents can come to honor Veterans in a quiet and reflective atmosphere,” Jackie said. In 2010 the Committee worked with the Clarkson Highway Department to do the landscaping in the area and to install a flagpole. A local Girl Scout Troop installed the benches and flower bed.
In February 2019, ten years after the park area was established, Jackie, U.S. Army vet Bill Fine and U.S. Air Force vet Kermit Mercer revived the Veterans Park Committee to have a bronze plaque made for the park as part of the celebration of the Town’s Bicentennial. A stone with a plaque mounted on it was placed in the flower bed at the park. At the May 23 dedication, a new U.S. flag will be raised, donated by Bill Fine and his wife, Leslie Blake. A POW/MIA flag will be added to the mast.
Jackie, a Town of Clarkson resident, has a history of honoring vets. Years ago, she gathered information about Clarkson service members for the Wall of Honor in Clarkson. The wall located at the Sweden/Clarkson Community Center honors active duty military service members and those who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Asked about her tenacity in pursuing the park project for a decade, Jackie said: “My father and two sisters served in the U.S. Navy. It has been an honor to be part of the Veterans Park Committee and to work with people who shared my commitment to this project. Getting to know our local Veterans over the past 10 years, has kept me working towards honoring them.”
And, about the variety of local groups involved in the project, she noted, “We have an incredible community spirit. The Girl Scouts, the Highway Department, Kermit Mercer, Bill Fine and other locals, have all contributed.”
Jackie Smith is a Clarkson Town Board Member. She has been Treasurer of the Clarkson Historical Society since 2014. With boundless energy, when Jackie is not volunteering, her day job at Wegmans is Education and Store Coordinator where she has worked 28 years.
May 23 Dedication Program
Call to Order/Introductions – Jackie Smith, Veterans Park Committee Chair
Raising of the Flags/Pledge Allegiance to the Flag – Members of NSVA Seabees Island X12, Rochester
Invocation – Emelio Sebastian, Jubilee Christian Church
Guest Speaker: Joseph Robach, NY State Senator
Proclamation: Christa Filipowicz, Town Supervisor
Remarks by Veterans and Unveiling of the Plaque – Kermit Mercer and Bill Fine, Veterans Park Committee
Placing of the Wreath – Members of NSVA Seabees Island X12, Rochester
Taps: Member of the Brockport High School Band
