Veteran's Monument

We couldn't have asked for more as a packed house filled the Makefield-Highlands golf course Saturday night for our first big fundraiser on the monument project. I was really overwhelmed with the generosity of the people who attended, both with their financial support and their kind encouragement. My parents were both there as well as friends and neighbors and lots of people I hadn't met before. Leading up to the live auction of a limited edition print I donated, I gave this little speech to a raucous crowd:

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a great passion for the idea of 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.' It is my belief that the single greatest development in human history was when our government was founded with this concept at its core. This 'idea'; however, is just words without those men and women who willingly put their lives in harms way to defend this concept. The clay I used to sculpt the memorial piece for Engine 6 is the same exact clay I am using for the Veteran's Monument. When the firefighters ran into the burning towers in an attempt to rescue perfect strangers, they too, were defending this idea. The clay I am using is the same exact clay that came to me from my mentor, Laszlo Ispanky, who escaped from communist Hungary with nothing. He went on to use this clay to create pieces that circle the globe. Pieces that celebrate the human experience and the quest for freedom. I am honored to be able to contribute to this project and to donate a work to help make this a reality.

As the bidding started, it was rather thrilling to see so many people waving their numbers as the dollars ran up, even if one of the bidders was my mother and father :) Thank you to everyone, and thank you to Brad and Linda for being so generous in the final purchase of the print. Thank you also to Robin and Eric, Amy and Steve, Ed and Grace, Marty and Cindy, George and Maryanne for your generosity and support.

For more on the project please see: Veteran's Monument