Shortly before Veterans Day in the United States in November 2025, the Monument Builders of North America (MBNA) released a Monument Matters podcast episode spotlighting the Ohio Veterans Memorial Park. This site is a powerful example of the ways in which design, collaboration and storytelling can unite to honor those who served.

Episode guests include Kenneth C. Noon, owner of Summit Memorials Inc., in Akron, Ohio, and Erin Lynn Rader, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and researcher who is part of the dedicated volunteer group that made the memorial park possible. Together, the pair authored the book 3095 Plus – Ohio’s Fallen: The Battle for a Veterans’ Memorial.

The podcast episode reveals how a handful of volunteers transformed a simple idea into a lasting tribute through persistence, collaboration and creativity. Listeners gain insight into organizing community fundraising, navigating local politics and balancing emotion with practicality in memorial design.
MonumentBuilders.org