Community: Firefighter Memorial
“The Argos Fire Department was always near and dear to my heart, and I often wondered how I could play a role in leaving a lasting memory to honor fallen firefighters,” said George Null, Indiana Plant Manager.
A longtime dream became a reality for one of our very own coworkers this past spring when he fulfilled his purpose of making a positive impact in his community.
For more than 25 years, Plymouth, IN plant manager George Null has served as a volunteer firefighter with the Town of Argos Fire Department, and he and his colleagues dreamt of someday building a memorial for the fallen men and women of the force. While this idea seemed hopeful, no one at the department was sure how to begin the process.
“The Argos Fire Department was always near and dear to my heart, and I often wondered how I could play a role in leaving a lasting memory to honor fallen firefighters,” said George.
It was the summer of 2018 when one of George’s life-long friends and fellow firefighter, Mark, passed away of pancreatic cancer. That’s when the idea of honoring the fallen sank in for George.
“It really hit home for me, and at the next department meeting we discussed what we’d need to do for the memorial to happen,” said George.
As the community mourned the loss of Mark, many donations started pouring into the department from the community in his honor, and the possibility of a memorial drew closer.
A decision was made by the department’s planning committee to purchase a bench using the donated funds and to have it displayed in Memorial Park, located in downtown Argos. The plan was to install the bench along with a flagpole and surround the area with concrete, decorative stone and burning bushes.
To get the project to come to life, George filled out a donation request through Ozinga for the concrete and it was granted. As more monetary and material contributions started coming in from the community, the pieces slowly came into place and pretty soon there were enough materials and volunteers for the project to take off.
“The donation of concrete to place the bench was the kind of push we needed to make this dream come true,” said George. “I have only been with Ozinga for a little over two years and it makes me proud to be a part of such a faith-based and generous company that wants to give back to the communities it serves.”
Today, the memorial draws in residents and surrounding visitors and gives them a space to reflect and remember those brave men and women who dutifully served in their community.
