TONY TROPEANO AND SONS ARTISTIC MASONRY team members, from left, Moe Pratt, Chris Hicks, Joe Tropeano, Tony Tropeano Sr., Tony Tropeano Jr., Ben Tropeano, Tim Connors and Matthew Cushing installed the brick veneer, town of Lynnfield seal and military crests on the new Veterans Memorial last month. (Dan Tomasello Photo)
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — A local masonry company recently completed work on the new Veterans Memorial that is under construction by the Town Common.
Tony Tropeano and Sons Artistic Masonry volunteered to install the brink veneer, the town of Lynnfield seal and military crests on the new Veterans Memorial. Tony Tropeano Sr. said his company volunteered to undertake the project in order to honor the town’s veterans.
“My sons Tony Jr. and Joseph are veterans, and my brother Benny is a veteran,” said Tropeano. “Tony Jr. is a U.S. Army Airborne veteran. Joseph is serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, and was a special guest speaker at last year’s Veterans Day ceremony. Benny is an Army veteran who served during the Cold War.”
After learning about the Veterans Memorial project several years ago from his childhood friend, Veterans Memorial Committee Chair Joe Connell, Tropeano immediately knew that the company would volunteer to work on the project.
“When I heard about the new Veterans Memorial, I knew that we must get involved,” said Tropeano.
Tropeano said his late mentor, Ted Michalek, previously worked on the existing Honor Roll Memorial on the Town Common that is adjacent to Main Street.
“Ted was a legendary stone mason who lived in town,” said Tropeano. “Ted was a U.S. Navy combat veteran who served in World War II. He was a hero who saved some guys on a ship. He did the stonework on the original Honor Roll Memorial on the Town Common. Ted was a mentor of mine along with my father and godfather. He did a great job with the first memorial, and it was absolutely my pleasure to do the second one. I learned so much from Ted that I decided it was my turn to give back.”
Tropeano, Joseph, Tony Jr., Benny, Navy Seabee veteran Tim Connors, Lynnfield resident/U.S. Army veteran Moe Pratt and Methuen resident Chris Hicks spent 12 days veneering the bottom of the new Veterans Memorial and installing the military crests and town seal on it. He said St. John’s Prep junior Matthew Cushing Jr. and Middleborough High School students Ronan and Gavin Pine also volunteered their time to work on the project.
“They donated their time to help out,” said Tropeano. “Rather than building a conventional stone wall that Ted did for the memorial on the Town Common, we put the veneers on the bottom exterior of the Veterans Memorial.”
Tropeano said the volunteers decided work on the new Veterans Memorial in order to recognize Lynnfield’s veterans.
“We have so many of our neighbors and friends who are veterans,” said Tropeano. “We see them every day at church, sporting events and in the supermarket. Veterans are everyday people and you would never know they are veterans because they are so humble. Veterans have dedicated themselves to preserving our freedom. It’s such a noble venture that needs to be acknowledged.”
Tropeano said the masonry company is going to install a granite column at the new Veterans Memorial at a later date.
“The new Veterans Memorial is going to be a great area,” said Tropeano. “The town’s Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies are going to be different from now on. Joe Connell was adamant about the new memorial being a teaching memorial. It’s going to recognize the men and women in our town who served our country. The narrative that will give an overview of each war is going to bring to life their sacrifice even more. It’s absolutely essential for a great town like Lynnfield to have a memorial that recognizes the men and women who served. It’s easy to take our freedoms for granted, and it’s very important to recognize the men and women who served. If you see a veteran, I encourage you to stop, shake their hand and thank them for their service. Freedom is not free, and the freedoms we enjoy every day is because of our veterans. If you love your freedom, thank a veteran.”
Tropeano also said it was an honor to work with his good friend Connell on the Veterans Memorial project.
“We have been friends since first grade,” said Tropeano. “We played sports together and we are very good friends. He is a wonderful guy.”
Connell thanked Tropeano, his two sons and all of the volunteers who worked on the new Veterans Memorial.
“Tony Tropeano and his sons, Tony Jr. and Joe, are true patriots and role models for this town,” said Connell. “I have known Tony Sr. since we were in first grade. After this project was approved by the Select Board, Tony came to me immediately and said please make me part of this project. He was the perfect fit for this project. His work at the new Veterans Memorial is nothing short of spectacular. It is causing a lot of positive buzz in the town for our opening on Veterans Day in November as this project takes shape. He and his sons took two weeks out of the busiest time of the year to volunteer their time to do the face of the Memorial. This saved the project $50,000. He and his company have made this Memorial Washington, D.C. level quality. I cannot possibly thank him enough for this commitment to this needed project. If you see him around town, please thank him.”
Veterans Services Officer Bruce Siegel agreed.
“I am extremely pleased with the progress of the new Memorial,” said Siegel, who also serves on the Veterans Memorial Committee. “Thank you to Tropeano and Sons Artistic Masonry for the beautiful job installing the stone veneer, the Lynnfield logo and military crests. On Veterans Day and Memorial Day, I often say that veterans make us humble. Well, working on this project has been a very humbling experience. As Lynnfield’s Director of Veterans Services, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. I meet and get to help our local veterans and their families all the time. I look forward to this coming Veterans Day, when we will conduct the dedication ceremony for the Memorial. It will be a tremendous tribute to all of our past, present and future men and women in uniform. I would like to thank my predecessor, Jason Kimball, who was instrumental in the creation of our new Veterans Memorial. It was his vision and determination that made the current project a reality. I feel it’s important to recognize Jason, and his commitment to Lynnfield veterans. Finally, thank you to the members of the Memorial Committee, especially Jack Harrigan, who passed away last month, for their dedication and hard work.”
