Here is an architect's rendering of Major Winters Memorial Plaza in Ephrata, Pa. To honor our war veterans, the plaza is situated along a pedestrian path named in honor of Major Winters, who was born and buried in the town.

A volunteer group in the community constructed the plaza. Individuals purchased bricks and had the names of veterans cast in them. A duplicate of the statue installed in Normandy France, of Major Dick Winters (of the "Band of Brothers" fame), by the same sculptor, was erected at the plaza.
Photo: The Arro Group

Major Dick Winters, hero of the bestselling book and Emmy-winning TV miniseries "Band of Brothers," is a hometown hero in Ephrata, Pa. Making a statue of Winters as the centerpiece of a veteran's plaza became a community-wide effort.

Erected a short distance from Winters' boyhood home, the plaza is of a circular design measuring 28 feet in diameter. It incorporates red and tan brick pavers. The red pavers, many engraved with the names of veterans, emanate from the center creating a five-point star.

Vince Fry of Frysville Farms provided pro bono landscaping, including laying the pavers. "When I heard about this, I thought we have to get this thing in Ephrata," Fry said. "It's just a unique way to honor a famous son."

Even though his nursery/landscaping business was in the midst of its busy delivery season, Fry donated his services. He cut the pavers to fit the design using a stone saw, and laid the pavers, assisted by volunteers, including local high school students and the borough mayor.

The bronze statue is a duplicate of the one erected in Normandy, France; both were created by sculptor Stephen Spears. Projected to cost $50,000, the plaza, thanks to an outpouring of donations and in-kind services from individuals and businesses, cost just a fraction of that amount, said monument committee chairwoman Rebecca Gallagher.

As news of the project spread, help came from around Lancaster County. Architect Mark Schillaci of Schillaci Architects Ltd. provided the design and a host of businesses made that vision a reality.

On land donated by the Borough of Ephrata, excavation for the plaza was performed by D.L. Burkholder Inc. In the center of a freshly dug shallow circle, a three-foot deep hole was excavated where the pedestal supporting the statue would be located. Concrete forming and reinforcement were donated by Richard J. Burkholder, Inc., using 30,000 pounds of concrete donated and poured by Rohrer Quarry.

After the concrete hardened, hand-cut field stones, salvaged from a farmhouse dating to the late 1800s, donated by Richard Stauffer, were used as facing on the five-foot-tall pedestal. Placing the stone was done for free by a trio of masons from Cocalico Builders Ltd. Granite plaques, displayed on three sides of the pedestal and containing quotes, including some by Winters, along with donors' names, were engraved and mounted for free by Gingrich Memorials.