This episode’s guests Kenneth C. Noon, owner of Summit Memorials Inc in Akron OH and Erin Lynn Rader, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and researcher who is among the dedicated volunteers who made the Ohio Veterans Memorial Park possible. Erin and Ken are co-authors of the book “3095 Plus – Ohio’s Fallen: The Battle for a Veterans’ Memorial.”

The podcast explores the park’s origins and meaning while offering monument builders practical lessons in community engagement, memorial design, and sustaining legacy through stone.

Listeners will gain insight into how large-scale memorial projects overcome challenges, engage local support, and tell meaningful stories through design. For monument professionals, the episode highlights strategies that can be adapted to everyday work—whether it’s building trust with families, designing with purpose, or strengthening ties with the community.