Eagle Scout Helps Montrose

While visiting Montrose, have you observed the commemorative plaques honoring various businesses and individuals along Honolulu Avenue? They are keys to our past and, until recently, were in danger of fading away.

Volunteers can come from unlikely sources. How does one connect the Vietnam Memorial in Montrose and the restoration of Montrose history with a junior at Crescenta Valley High School? Meet Ryan Januzik.

This young man comes from a family with a long history of military service. Through them he learned about history and developed a compassion for our country’s veterans. He joined the Boy Scouts at the age of 11 and looks forward to his own military career someday.

Ready to serve his community and earn his Eagle Scout rank, Ryan wanted to create a unique project that would tie his love and respect of military history to the community. Ryan’s Scoutmaster Rich Toyon and Scout District Director Dede Mueller introduced him to Steve Pierce, a Vietnam veteran and the passionate overseer of the Vietnam Memorial in Montrose. Through Steve, Ryan learned that not just the plaque at the Memorial needed attention, but all the plaques in Montrose were in various states of disrepair.

With the assistance of local historians Mike Lawler and Robert Newcombe, the wording on each plaque was determined and a presentation was made to the Montrose Shopping Park Association. The Association agreed to fund the project and worked with Serge Manoukian (of Total Graphics in Montrose) who laser engraved the wording on the brass plaques you can see today.

Ryan’s Eagle Scout portion of the project was to remove all existing plaques, oversee the digging at each new location, secure the new brass plaques to concrete bases, and maintain the plaques for a period of one year. From September 2016 through December 2016, Ryan led his troop members, friends and family through the process of removing, replacing and reseating all 36 plaques. The project took 10 people over five weekends of sweating through the topography and tree roots to finish placing 30 in-ground plaques leaving six to be installed on building walls.

Two of the plaques that touched Ryan’s heart most were dedicated to military heroes, the Vietnam Memorial and the two brothers in the WWII Air Force honored at Zwick Plaza.

Ryan’s passion to achieve a meaningful community project and his reverence of our veterans earned him his Eagle Scout rank at the age of 16.

Ryan is starting his senior year at CV High and plans to join the ROTC in college and eventually the Air Force. A special thank you to Ryan from the MSPA and Montrose community and congratulations on your accomplishment of Eagle Scout.

This week our Sunday Market features herbs, arugula, mint, and basil, sun-kissed cherry heirloom tomatoes and delicious lemon cucumber pickles. And for your musical enjoyment, listen to the inspiring sounds of Paul Mars Black. It’s always fun at the Montrose Market where you will find unique shops and restaurants open Sunday for your shopping and dining pleasure.