Blue Star Memorial Dedication

It was a beautiful day in Edgemont Park, in spite of the lowering clouds, as the townspeople and friends of Montclair gathered for the Blue Star Memorial Dedication Ceremony in Edgemont Park on November 6, 2026.

The Blue Star Memorial Marker program is a nationwide program to honor US service men and women of the past, present and future generations. It began in New Jersey at the close of World War II as a project coordinated by the Garden Club of New Jersey and the NJ Highway Commissioner and has grown into a nationwide recognition of those who serve in the military. (See the full description of the program, including how a thousand dogwood trees got planted on a section of Route 22.)

Eighty years later, our club coordinated with the same entities, led by Rose Wolverton of the Garden Club of New Jersey and Lois Johann of the NJ Department of Transportation, to dedicate a beautiful stone set permanently near the flagpole in Edgemont Park. The simple but lovely ceremony included two trumpet solos by middle-school student Miles Roper, as well as speeches from our own president Fran Ackerly, Rose Wolverton, Lois Johann, and Mayor Renee Baskerville. Montclair is now officially part of the nationwide Blue Star Memorial program.

Below right: The marker with its inlaid plaque. Below left: (l-r) Fran Ackerly, Lois Johann, Rose Wolverton.

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