By: Mary Beth Almond | Rochester Post | Published July 9, 2025
ROCHESTER — Families, friends and community members are invited to celebrate the rededication of Rochester’s WWII Honor Roll at 6 p.m. July 16.
The monument, located adjacent to the Rochester Police station, near Rochester Municipal Park, has a long history in the community.
The beginning
Deborah Larsen, a former local history and genealogy librarian, said the local chapter of Blue Star Mothers wanted to honor the people from the Rochester area who served in the armed forces during the war and fundraised for the WWII Honor Roll, which was dedicated in 1945 at the intersection that is now University Drive and Walnut Boulevard.
In 1951, the Honor Roll was moved to Second and Main to avoid damage from road hazards. But as urban sprawl and damage from cars continued, the Honor Roll was dismantled in 1964 and placed in storage, despite urging from the Blue Star Mothers for city planners to repair it and move it to the city’s civic campus.
In 2001, the Rochester Avon Historical Society campaigned to restore the honor roll and place it back on public display. The community raised $40,000 to research and locate replacement panels of the Carrara glass and arranged for a site near the Rochester Municipal Park. The total cost to move the monument and build forms, bases and sidewalks was $150,000 – which officials said was all donated monetarily or in kind — allowing for the Honor Roll to be rededicated on May 25, 2002.
The stories behind the names
Built by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co., the original six-sided structure features 16 Carrara glass panels inscribed with 1,104 names of local men and women who served in the armed forces during World War II. Officials said at least 26 of them, those with a gold star affixed to their name, gave their lives in the service of their country and the cause of freedom.
An additional 24 names, identified during the 2001 restoration process, were added to a tribute section located behind the monument.
Community members can learn more about the stories behind the names, which officials said were never researched or written about, until now.
Larsen, the Historical Society’s research committee chair, along with board member Karen Lemon, have partnered up to research the histories of the people listed on the monument to post on the Historical Society’s website.
At press time, the duo had written brief biographies for approximately 200 people.
Dziurman said the Historical Society feels the monument and the stories behind the names project are a vital part of remembering the sacrifices of Rochester-area military veterans.
“It’s really fascinating, and as you read through them, you’re just in awe of the sacrifices and the service that these men and women gave,” she said. “Some were shot down, some were in really precarious situations, and many received a lot of medals and different things. It’s really inspiring.”
Larsen said the project has been successful thanks to the many residents in Rochester and Rochester Hills who still have ties to those names.
Hugh Patterson — who currently lives in Rochester with his wife, Tina — is one of them. He shared the story of his father, John “Jack” Hugh Patterson and his dog, Sgt. Sparks, with Larsen.
Born in Detroit, on Nov. 12, 1916, John was the son of Hugh and Eleanor Gertrude Patterson, a Rochester Blue Star Mother. John joined the United States Marine Corps on March 13, 1945, and was assigned as a war dog handler at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In early 1946, John was responsible for the rehabilitation and de-programming of Doberman pinscher Sgt. Sparks, a Marine Raider war dog retiring from military service after several Asia Pacific battles. Prior to his battalion separation on May 18, 1946, John was granted possession of Sgt. Sparks with special approval from the U.S. Marine Corps, and they returned home to Rochester. Sparks remained a resident of Rochester until his death in 1947. Sgt. Sparks received seven service citations for heroic participation in World War II and was given a formal military service and burial on July 6, 1947, at Happy Hunting Grounds Memorial Park in South Lyon, which is now the Michigan War Dog Memorial. John Hugh Patterson died on Sept. 4, 1991, at the age of 74, and was laid to rest at Mount Avon Cemetery.
A separate historical marker to honor Sgt. Sparks will be unveiled in Rochester near the WWII Honor Roll during the rededication ceremony July 16.
“This dog did some pretty dangerous jobs and saved a lot of human lives,” Larsen said of Sgt. Sparks. “He was highly decorated, for a military canine.”
Larsen said 28 women appear on the Honor Roll. Ruth Jubb and Lyla Spelbring are two of them, and their stories are featured on the Historical Society website.
“Women, of course, weren’t drafted, so all 28 of them were volunteers,” she said. “But these two women both became career army officers. Lyla retired at the rank of colonel, and Ruth retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel. They were two of the highest ranking Michigan women in the military in their day, and both of them were right here from Rochester.”
Larsen and Lemon plan to continue to write brief biographies for all the people listed on the Honor Roll, focusing mainly on their service during the war.
People who have a family member listed on the WWII Honor Roll and monument who would like to tell their story can visit www.rochesteravonhistoricalsociety.org and fill out the form.
A new era
Since the last restoration, Historical Society President Tiffany Dziurman said, weather and time have taken their toll on the monument.
“In 2023, it was not looking good and really needed some refreshing,” she said.
So the Rochester-Avon Historical Society applied for and has since received a $5,600 Community Enhancement Grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester to assist with cleaning and repainting the monument. With assistance from the city of Rochester and the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, the Historical Society also expanded the Honor Roll site and added evening lighting, two flag poles, new landscaping, and an exhibit panel to tell passersby about the Honor Roll’s history. The updated monument and space will be celebrated at 6 p.m. July 16.
The Community Foundation grant also provided the society an ongoing fund, which the Historical Society hopes the community will continue to support, to help maintain the Honor Roll for generations to come.
To donate to the WWII Honor Roll and Monument fund, visit www.rochesteravonhistoricalsociety.org or send a check with “WWII Memorial” written in the memo section to: RAHS, P.O. Box 80783, Rochester, MI, 48309.