A Salute to Service
New memorial designed as lasting tribute to veterans
Brick by brick—literally—the dream is becoming reality.
Work is underway on a new Veterans Memorial, located at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls and designed as a tribute to service men and women across all seven communities. Members are supporting the project via commemorative bricks engraved with the names of loved ones from every branch of the military, some going as far back as the Civil War.
“This endeavor is near and dear the hearts of so many of us at The Cliffs,” says David Delahunty, who is part of an eight-member committee to head up design, fundraising, and construction of the memorial. “It’s an idea that has transpired and evolved and grown over time, and we are all eager to see it complete.”
Delahunty served as a Marine Corps pilot for about 10 years before launching a civilian career with American Airlines, and he says he’s in awe of the military backgrounds of many of his neighbors and their family members.
“There’s such a strong military presence here, with members who are veterans and members whose loved ones are veterans, many of them highly decorated,” he says. “This memorial is a way for us to honor them all while also showing support for the values we hold so dear.”
The Cliffs Veteran Memorial was designed by members Trip Agerton and John Keith, with stone and color selections by Kim Mitchem and Colleen Delahunty. Keith is owner of Keith Monument, a company that’s been creating personal, civic and public memorials for more than 150 years—including the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial at West Point.
Design plans incorporate the armed services medallions in a stone-faced, half-oval wall embedded into the hillside adjacent to a koi pond and other water features. The half-oval surrounds a 30-foot illuminated flagpole centered in a patio paved with commemorative bricks. The monument will be oriented for view via the roundabout at the Keowee Falls Clubhouse.
“We chose this beautiful, peaceful location at Keowee Falls,” Delahunty says, “but I want to emphasize that this is a tribute to all veterans, and all families of veterans, throughout The Cliffs communities.”
A ground-breaking ceremony was hosted on May 19 and completion is anticipated by late Fall 2021.
Meritus Signature Homes is general contractor of the project and the company is gifting its services as an expression of gratitude to those who have served in the armed forces. Vendors and subcontractors making in-kind donations to the project include Ponds and Paths Landscaping, Keith Monument, Royal Engineering, Holder Electric Supply, and General Shale.
Upstate Warrior Project volunteered to administer the fund-raising process, which lends 501(c)(3) status to donations.
This story was featured in Cliffs Living magazine. To read more stories like this one and learn more about The Cliffs, subscribe here.
