Dozens of families, friends and loved ones of those who have been in the military gathered at the Phillips Park Sunken Garden in Aurora Saturday morning for the 2024 Memorial Brick ceremony, an event designed to permanently remember those who served our country.
A crowd of nearly 100 people gathered to witness the presentation of colors and the singing of the national anthem, followed by remarks from city officials and culminating with the reading of the entire list of names of those who have had memorial bricks permanently installed in their honor this year at the park.
Ansar Kazmi of Aurora, a member of the Aurora Veterans Advisory Council (AVAC), said the brick installation program began more than half a decade ago and this year featured the largest number of bricks ever added at the site.
“These bricks are for those who have passed as well as others who survived and came back,” Kazmi said just before the ceremony. “We now have about 50 that have been installed, but there is still room for a lot more.”
Kazmi said bricks are usually purchased by families, adding that a portion of the cost “goes to our scholarship fund” and that the rest covers the cost of materials and engraving of the bricks.
Joshua Pfeuffer of Aurora, who serves as the chair of the Aurora Veterans Advisory Council, said those who have purchased bricks have found them “through the city’s social media, grassroots media, word-of-mouth and print advertising.”
“We do this for the brick program and also for our scholarship program,” he said. “The brick installation this year – it takes a couple hours for our landscape group to do this. Since we started, they have given us their time for free. The team comes out and they have all of them installed after about two hours. We eventually can accommodate over 300 bricks. We definitely have some room to grow. This is for veterans and also residents of Aurora who would like to be remembered. We do open it up for civilians as well.”
Dave Tellner of Montgomery, a member of the Aurora Veterans Advisory Council, said that of the 30 bricks installed this year about 20 of them were purchased by he and his wife Esmeralda for “relatives and friends.”
“Relatives, maybe 15, and the other five are close friends,” Tellner said. “We bought so many because this is our way to help raise money for scholarships and recognize veterans at the same time.”
Esmeralda Tellner said there are many things that tie the Tellners and others to Phillips Park.
“These (bricks) are here forever,” she said. “We were born here in Aurora and grew up and when we were younger there were birthday parties here, we’d have the Aurora fireworks here, our kids would play baseball here. Kids would roll down the hills and for a lot of families in Aurora – this is traditional and memorable for us and when we’re gone there will be something here much longer than us.”
One of the recipients of an honorary brick who spoke before the ceremony was Art Lomas of Aurora, who served in Vietnam in 1967-68.
“I’m being remembered today as well as my cousin and one of my friends. They are all still alive here and all from Aurora,” he said. “To be here and alive and still being remembered, it’s an honor. I know a lot of friends belong to AVAC and I was given a heads up by them about all of us getting bricks. This installation – having a place for families and such – it’s beautiful.”
The ceremony ended with a surprise for Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, an Army veteran, who also had a brick installed with his name at the site.
He thanked the members of AVAC “for all their hard work.”
“They don’t do it for themselves. They don’t do it for the accolades or the pats on the back or the ‘atta-boys.’ They do it memorialize and show respect for the veterans who have served our country and those who represent Aurora,” he said.
The cost of purchasing a brick for next year’s installation is $125. For more information, call Dave Tellner at 630-849-4932.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
