Williamsville, N.Y. (WBEN) - More than three months after Russell Salvatore's "Patriots and Heroes" Park in Williamsville was vandalized, Wednesday marked the re-dedication of the park to honor those who have served the United States of America.
"I'm lost for words," said Salvatore following Wednesday's ceremony outside his Salvatore's Grand Hotel on Transit Road. "I go back to my father telling me when I was young. He said to me, 'Son, you're going into business, you don't have to have an education to be nice.' I've always tried to follow those words, and I tell the people that work for me, 'It's so easy to be nice.' I'm not religious, but I've got to Bless the Lord for making me as strong as I ever could at 90-years-old, and for making me be what my father wanted me to be. Pop, thank you, and thank you everyone out here for the respect they have shown me."
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After the park was vandalized back on March 2, more than $500,000 of renovations have been completed by master craftsmen to restore Salvatore's vision, and the design of Donald Parrino. This includes the total re-build of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument, and the major restoration of the Battle of the Bulge monument.
Salvatore's Patriots and Heroes Park opened in 2010 after he scrapped plans to build a strip plaza on the valuable piece of property in front of the hotel and restaurant on Transit Road. Salvatore, served stateside during World War II for the U.S. Army, has always had a fascination and honor for the U.S. military, and the men and women who serve our country.
In 1977, when the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park welcomed the USS The Sullivans, Salvatore recalled he was so impressed with that display for the military on the waterfront, he said if he ever had the opportunity, he would like to create a tribute to those who served for the country.
In recognition of revamping the Patriots and Heroes Park following March's vandalism incident, Salvatore received a number of honors from local members of not just the veterans community, but also local government. He received a Challenge Coin from Red Knights NY Chapter 47, a lifetime achievement award from the American Legion Department of New York, as well as proclamations from Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns, State Assemblyman Michael Norris, and Congressman Nick Langworthy.
"I'm ready to faint. How can a sad day, when this happened, turn out to be, today, one of the happiest days of my life? I can't believe it," Salvatore said. "I am so empty inside, I don't know how to thank everyone that's here. The folks that helped me put this together in about two months, thank you for your cooperation. You did a hell of a job."
You can listen to the entirety of the ceremony available in the player below:
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