Spotlight
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The Southern Hancock Veterans Memorial didn't build itself. It took veterans who refused to give up, a designer who turned their vision into stone and steel, and a Legion post that carried the work for over two decades. This is our spotlight on the people and organizations who made it happen, and who keep it going.
Nola: The Designer Behind the Vision
For nearly a decade, a small group of Legion Post 182 veterans carried an idea in their heads: a memorial that would honor every branch of service and every man and woman from Hancock County who answered the call. What they needed was someone who could turn that idea into a place people could actually walk through, sit in, and remember.
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That person was Nola, a landscape architect who spent nearly 40 years in the profession before retiring from Shrewsberry & Associates, where the Veterans Memorial Park design was completed. A longtime New Palestine resident of 30 years, Nola is married to Thom, a retired IFD firefighter, and the two raised two sons through New Palestine schools, where their grandchildren now attend as well.
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Nola credits the veterans she worked with for the memorial's staying power. "They sacrificed, worked hard, went to far away places, and saw things, and maybe still remember things that most can't imagine," she said of the Legion members who pushed the project forward for years before a site was even secured.
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The design she ultimately delivered was built around purpose as much as remembrance.
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The main walkway traces the history of the battles and wars fought, while individual monuments recognize each branch of the armed services. At the center, an obelisk ties it all together around four words: Duty, Honor, Integrity, and Service. A pergola provides shade and doubles as a small stage, in case the Legion ever wants to host a band on the lawn. Benches, donated by families in honor of their own veterans, and memorial bricks bearing the names of service members continue to be added as the site grows.
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None of it happened in a straight line. Nola met repeatedly with Bill McCoy, Dave Espich, Ron Ordelheide, and Dave Mummert as the design took shape, working through a budget that depended heavily on donated materials, labor, and time. "I challenged them, and they challenged me," she said of the process.
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Looking back, Nola sees the memorial as something that will keep changing. "It is a living and ever changing place that needs attention, maintenance, and love," she said, "and there is a great group of people within the Legion that continue to do an amazing job doing just that."
Bill McCoy: The Veteran Who Wouldn't Give Up
Bill McCoy served four years in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, an experience he has said never strayed far from his mind. Decades later, that experience became the driving force behind the Southern Hancock County Veterans Memorial.
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For more than a decade, McCoy led the effort within American Legion Post 182 to secure a site and build a memorial honoring those who served. The search for the right location was long and often discouraging. After several attempts fell through, the Sugar Creek Township Park board finally agreed to let the memorial be built at the park's entrance.
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Looking back on the years of setbacks, McCoy didn't sugarcoat how close the project came to stalling out for good. "We got pretty frustrated," he said, "almost to the point where we didn't think it was going to ever happen."
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It did happen. And the community turned out for it. When groundbreaking finally arrived, fellow Legion member Dave Espich called it a moment of real pride for the post, noting that New Palestine would finally have a memorial worthy of the veterans it honors.
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Today, the memorial stands as proof of what McCoy and the small group of veterans around him refused to let go of: a promise that no one in Hancock County would take for granted, or forget, the sacrifices made for their freedom.
American Legion Post 182
Legion 182 is a dedicated veterans organization committed to community service and honoring the service of others. Their steadfast support ensures the legacy of our heroes is preserved through sustainable landscape design and meaningful tributes.
Be The One Campaign
The 'Be The One' Campaign focuses on the mental health and well-being of our veterans. We invite you to be the one who listens, the one who honors, and the one who helps us preserve this sacred space for healing and support.