COVINGTON — A prominent Latonia intersection soon could be home to the city's first Korean War Memorial, after a 17-month fund-raising effort by three community groups.

        Supporters — who have raised $35,000 of the $48,000 project — plan to build the memorial at Ritte's Corner by year's end, said Butch Keller of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6095.

Korean War veterans Randy Beach (left) and Butch Keller (right) stand with the fountain that will become part of the memorial. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        On Friday, Mr. Keller was among several veterans to don military uniforms for the memorial's ground-breaking ceremony at Decoursey Pike and Winston Avenue.

        The Korean War, or “the forgotten war” as some veterans refer to it, ran from June 27, 1950 to July 27, 1953.

        “It's been great to see the community pull together on this,” said Mr. Keller, a 67-year-old disabled war veteran. “A lot of our contributions have been in nickels and dimes.”

        The centerpiece of the memorial will be a 4-foot-6-inch tall cast iron, two-tiered fountain, donated by Covington real estate developer Oakley Farris in memory of his late brother, Clofus, who was killed July 17, 1953, when he stepped on a land mine.

        The fountain will be set against a brick wall and antique decorative fencing removed from an Avondale estate by Stewart Iron Works in Covington. A bronze plaque will be mounted on the wall in recognition of the 24 Kenton County men who lost their lives.

HOW TO HELP

A number of groups and individuals have contributed to the memorial. Phase I, which begins in September, will include excavation and concrete work.     Phase II will include construction of the brick wall.     Phase III will be installation of the fountain.     Andy Piaskowy of Piaskowy and Cooper Architects and Planners of Covington also donated his time to create architectural drawings.     For information or to make a donation, call Butch Keller at (859) 261-5919 or Donna Horine at (859) 261-3525.

        Iron benches also will be placed near the fountain, and commemorative pavers will define the triangular plaza.

        “There are memorials in Covington for (veterans of) World War I, World War II and Vietnam,” said Korean War veteran Randy Beach, 69. “But we don't have a memorial for the Korean War.”

        Representatives of VFW Post 6095, American Legion Post 203 and Ritte's East Neighborhood Group have coordinated the fund raising and design.

        “We had talked for awhile about putting in a fountain there to replace one that was removed from that corner in the early 1920s,” said Donna Horine, president of the neighborhood group.

        “When we found out the VFW and the American Legion wanted to put a Korean War Memorial at the same site, we decided to work together.”

        There's even historical precedent for a memorial at Ritte's Corner, Mrs. Horine said. During World War I, a fountain honoring Latonia war veterans was erected in the middle of the intersection.

        That fountain didn't last long, however. A Latonia doctor repeatedly drove his car into it after drinking too much.

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