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November 15, 1999
Joe Kutner and Margaret Hait unveil the refurbished plaque.
Unveiled at the ceremony, the new plaque takes the place of the original that hung for more than 40 years but had been damaged over time.
When the MSU Alumni Association (MSUAA) learned that the plaque was in need of repair, it came to the rescue. "The state of the plaque was brought to our attention by board member Syd Salt ('51 '52 M.A.)," said MSUAA President Margaret Hait, '70 '76 M.A. "A committee was formed to research, refurbish and rededicate the plaque to make it once more the fitting tribute to those it honors."
The Life Hall Plaque Rededication Committee, chaired by Jim McGilvray '41, spent many hours researching the names of the donors that had been damaged on the plaque. To help ensure the plaque will stand the test of time, the names of 106 donors, eight original committee members of the War Memorial Fund and 21 deceased veterans are now cast in bronze.
With family and friends of the veterans in attendance, the new plaque was unveiled by Hait and Joe Kutner '32 '37 M.A., president of the Alumni Association during the original Life Hall campaign.
The 45-minute rededication ceremony closely resembled the one that took place May 17, 1957, right down to the participation of VFW 3 711 of Bloomfield serving as honor guard, flag bearers from the American Legion Essex County Committee, and ending with taps played by student Brian Morgan.
Seven alumni read the names of the deceased and shared their own special memories. Many spoke about remembrances of their time together as classmates.
Faculty member Audrey Leef '43 gave the invocation and participated in the reading of names. "It was very moving for me," she said. "The most touching moment was meeting the nephew of one of my classmates, Tony Galioto. When I stood up to speak about Tony, his nephew, who was seated behind me, told me that he shares his uncle's first name. He was born six months after Tony was killed so they never met, but he was there to honor his uncle's memory."
Even though it was a solemn event, Leef welcomed the warm memories she and fellow committee members found themselves sharing in the time leading up to the ceremony. "It was time to do something like this. They were our classmates. Our friends," She said.
Once the plaque was unveiled, the flag draping it was ceremoniously folded and presented to MSU President Susan A. Cole. The flag was raised outside College Hall last week in honor of Veterans Day.