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OSWEGO, NY – At the 117th convention for the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Oswego’s Marilyn Rowsey Dirk had the honor and priviledge to be chosen president for the state of New York.
Mrs. Dirk said, “There will be a lot of work, but it will be well worth it. We must keep the memory of these things past to keep from repeating them in the future.”
That is why she chose to be a part of this veterans’ organization; her great-great-grandfather, Joseph Ellis, was a private from the Town of Oswego area.
“It is in memory of him I strive to keep his and all veterans’ names alive, lest we forget,” she said. “I encourage you to join a veterans’ group of your choice and or support them so our boys returning from Iraq or Afgahanistan will not have to fight again for what is rightfully theirs here.”
Mrs. Dirk reported that at the convention there is always a memorial service at a Civil War monument in the area of encampment.
This year, it was in Waterloo with an invitation by the monument committee to have it at the site, even though it isn’t quite finished yet.
After the service was over, Dirk was approached and asked to strike a star into the marble to represent 1,000 fallen men during the Civil War.
“I was so overwhelmed with such a priviledge and honor tears came to my eyes,” she said.
Her handiwork was duly noted in the registry of the monument’s master book with her name and exactly where her star is located.
“So, if you go to Waterloo, check it out. Here are the grids: North side Down  27″ – left to right 18 1/2 inches. You will notice it is a little smaller than the others,” she noted.
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