Submitted by David Wold, Greenwich
I have just read a GFP article (Site Plan for Illuminated George HW Bush Statue with Seating Wall Outside Havemeyer Building Submitted to P&Z Aug 19, 2025) about the proposed President George H.W. Bush statue in something the application refers to as “Veteran’s Park” on Greenwich Avenue. I am surprised by the name and further, what is this “Veteran’s Park” exactly, and what area does it cover?
Both First Selectman Fred Camillo and former fellow State Senator Scott Frantz are very familiar with the process of ‘naming’ something in this town. I remember their joint proclamation in dedicating Sal Strazza Baseball Field back in 2012 and First Selectman Fred Camillo’s work in naming Eugene Morlot Memorial Park (2021) and Byram Veterans Memorial Tree Grove in the same area, that included and protected Byram Boys who lost their lives, some in the same war as President G.H.W. served in, and their names can be found, as a one line, on the monument on Greenwich Avenue – in the area they have now named “Veteran’s Park.”
Narrative from Town’s application to Greenwich Planning & Zoning for site plan for Bush statue.
This time Mr. Camillo seemingly can not wait or feels no need to wait to repeat same naming process. It is after all an election year – and who knows the outcome, and whether they will have the votes to get it done.
About two years ago, we heard about plans to rename, Memorial Plaza Park, the triangular area in front of Restoration Hardware (formerly the US Post Office) to “Veterans Plaza Park,” so I have to ask, does this newly named “Veteran’s Park” also covering that area? Otherwise First Selectman’s intentions would be very confusing.
We remember just a few years ago, Camillo supported moving Arch Street (to better align with Havemeyer Place) onto land in the town ROW outside the Havemeyer building. Is that land part of what is proposed to be named “Veteran’s Park”?
He promised to come back on this application That plan included installation of a bench and walkway to Col Raynal Cawthorne Bolling statue, but I didn’t see a proposal for this either.
I, for one, have nothing against dedicating this area as “Veteran’s Park,” but let’s follow the process that so carefully was followed 2021. It would then include then Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam, and then Fred Camillo and Scott Frantz, who both are on the Town 250th Committee for the American Revolution, could on behalf of that committee apply for state funding (it is available) to install a permanent monument for the nearly eight years of the war ‘named’ the American Revolution.
If ‘we the people’ would like a monument in the “Veteran’s Park” over surviving Veterans, maybe we should first consider, before spending personal funds and use of influence to install a statue over one (I think President George H.W. Bush and his family would support that idea) – we install a monument for the thousand who did survive, but that society could not help after their service.
As an example, a name comes to mind, who represents so many: Henry Depew who 201 years ago, stood at Putnam Cottage and exchanged ‘memories’ with General Lafayette during his Victory Tour.
Mr. Depew served as a Private for nearly seven years, wounded several times and after the war, lived in Greenwich but got no pension and could not work. He died 97 years old, buried with military honors, but in an unknown grave somewhere in the tri-state area.
Today we have a better system, but How many Veterans have we seen attending Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and when they end their service to this country, get buried without one person ‘knowing their history’, attending?
But let me not get ahead of myself, and back to my original question, what surveyed area is included, and when was this Veteran’s Park approved ?
David C. Wold
President
Capt. Matthew Mead Branch #11
Sons of the American Revolution