Officials break ground for memorial

#MiddleburyCT #Rochambeau #Groundbreaking

Left to right, State Representative Bill Pizzuto, Marie and Larry Janesky, First Selectman Edward B. St. John, Middlebury Historical Society President Robert Rafford, and Selectmen Jennifer Mahr and J. Paul Vance participate in the Rochambeau Memorial groundbreaking. The memorial will be built at Meadowview Park in Middlebury. (Marjorie Needham photo)

Tuesday, October 7, benefactors and public officials took up their shovels and a bit of French spirit to break ground for Middlebury’s Rochambeau Memorial at Meadowview Park. The ceremony marked the official start of construction on the long-awaited monument honoring General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, and the French soldiers who passed through Middlebury in 1781 on their march to Yorktown, Virginia, where their alliance with General George Washington secured American independence.

Middlebury Historical Society President Robert Rafford opened the event, welcoming local and state dignitaries and describing the day as an important moment in the town’s history. He thanked the many donors, volunteers, and committee members who “kept faith that this monument would one day stand.”

Benefactor Larry Janesky, who with his wife Marie pledged $100,000 to the project, recalled that their home sits on the site of the original French encampment. “No French Army coming through Middlebury, no United States,” he said. “We’re moving forward on faith and optimism to create something permanent for this community.”

The featured address came from Lieutenant-colonel Patrick Dutertre, Vice President of Le Souvenir Français, who traveled from Bethel to represent the French-American heritage organization. In uniform, he paid tribute to both nations’ shared struggle for liberty, declaring, “Our duty today is to protect this heritage, to cherish and defend all that unites us – for the good of the world and of the next generations.”

Among those attending were State Representative Bill Pizzuto, First Selectman Edward B. St. John, Selectmen Jennifer Mahr and J. Paul Vance, sculptor Tony Falcone and his wife, Judi Andrews, and benefactor Penny Albini, whose family is sponsoring the statue’s pedestal.

When completed, the bronze statue of a French infantryman will stand on a landscaped plaza beside the Meadowview Park pavilion. The unveiling ceremony is planned for June 27, 2026, coinciding with the 245th anniversary of Rochambeau’s march through Middlebury.

Fundraising continues for the final phase of the project. Tax-deductible donations may be made through the Middlebury Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, at www.middleburyhistoricalsociety.org.