Waynesburg University recently adopted two monuments at Gettysburg National Military Park. The monuments will be maintained and preserved during the University’s annual fall Faith, Learning and Service Immersion Trip to Gettysburg.
The adopted monuments include the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry – West of Sickles and the 1st Regiment US Sharpshooters (Andrews SS-MA) – Zeigler’s Grove.
Rea Redd, director of the Eberly Library, is the team leader for the Gettysburg service trips and presented the project to the University in an effort to form a long-term service agreement between Waynesburg University and the Gettysburg National Military Park.
“Students who participate in these service learning trips to care for our adopted monuments will help to preserve our nation’s heritage of freedom and the beauty of the natural environment,” said Redd. “The monuments represent the stories of soldiers, several of whom are Waynesburg alumni and Medal of Honor recipients.”
Redd will volunteer with the students to help educate them and make connections between their real-life experiences and American history.
“The monuments are also memorials to Gettysburg civilians who performed heroic deeds in caring for the wounded or burying the dead,” added Redd. “Learning their stories will help students think about how to respond should they ever find themselves living through the kind of local devastation that followed the battle of Gettysburg.”
The roles and responsibilities of the adoption agreement state that tasks may include raking, seeding, erosion control, litter pick up, brush clearing, fence repair and/or restoration, clearing/restacking stone walls, painting, weed and/or exotic plant removal and other general work as directed by park personnel.
“Students will now have the opportunity to learn about history outside of the classroom by volunteering on the battlefield,” said Kelley Hardie, assistant dean of student services. “One of the many goals of our service trips is for students to make the connections between academics and service, and this certainly fulfills that mission.”
Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three additional sites located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and is one of only 21 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.
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Ashley Wise, Director of University Relations
724-852-7675 or awise@waynesburg.edu
