Prince Andrew to dedicate George C. Marshall Memorial Plaza
A member of the British royal family will visit Uniontown in October to formally dedicate the George C. Marshall Memorial Plaza. On Oct. 26, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, will dedicate the plaza at the Five Corners intersection and unveil a plaque from the British government honoring Marshall and the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Scholarships.
During his visit, he will attend a fund-raising dinner at the Uniontown Country Club for the Friends of George C. Marshall, which raised money to build the plaza in 1998. The group’s vice president, Samuel Davis, said he hopes the dinner raises enough money to retire outstanding debt from constructing the plaza.
On Oct. 25, he will be in Pittsburgh to meet with scholarship alumni from the University of Pittsburgh and scholarship candidates from universities and colleges in the 10-county Greater Pittsburgh area.
While in Pittsburgh, the prince will attend the American Dinner, held annually to strengthen business ties between the United States and England. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is expected to attend.
Prince Andrew’s visit will be the subject of a press conference Wednesday at noon at the Uniontown plaza.
Sir Thomas Harris, the British Consul General in New York, Uniontown Mayor James Sileo, and George Cluss, Davis and Ellen Ulmer of the Friends of George C. Marshall will formally announce the royal visit.
Davis said the consulate contacted him about a year ago and asked if there was an appropriate place in Uniontown to commemorate the scholarships.
“Their thought was that they would bring a 50th anniversary plaque honoring the Marshall Scholarships,” Davis said.
He told them Marshall Plaza would be appropriate and said he became intrigued when the officials suggested that a member of the royal family might attend.
The prince was mentioned in a meeting in Uniontown between Cluss, president of Friends of George C. Marshall, Davis and Dr. Ray Raymond of the consulate.
“Expect the prince to deliver an honorable message,” Davis said. “I’m really excited about the opportunity for the community. The cultural exchanges between our countries have been unbelievable, and we’re allies. We were thrilled.”
He said U.S. Rep. John Murtha also will speak at the dedication ceremony.
Sileo said Davis told him about Prince Andrew’s visit Friday, and he is delighted about the opportunity to meet a member of British royalty.
“I’m excited. I’m elated. I never met anyone from the royal family,” Sileo said. “I’m looking forward to meeting him. I’ve very excited about it.”
Prince Andrew is the third child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, and is the first child born to a reigning monarch in 103 years.
His visit is in honor of Marshall, who was born in Uniontown in 1880 and became the U.S. Army chief of staff, the highest-ranking Army officer, during World War II.
“He saved Europe and especially Britain,” said Sileo, a World War II Air Force crew chief.
Marshall might be better known for developing the Marshall Plan while serving as secretary of state under President Harry S. Truman. The plan sent billions of American dollars to Europe for post-war reconstruction and economic recovery.
Flags of the 16 nations involved in the plan decorate Marshall Plaza.
Marshall also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for creating the plan
That same year, British Parliament established the Marshall Scholarship for U.S. citizens to attend universities in England for two years. Up to 40 scholarships are awarded every year.
He died in 1959 at age 79.