Panels

Don MacEachern, who served as Post Commander 2014-2018, originally had the idea to have a mural painted on the back wall of the Petersburg American Legion’s social room to honor veterans.  A chance encounter between Shelly Ormsby and Robert Morss led to the completion of that long awaited mural. 

As a Penn State employee and veteran, Shelly was attending a women’s veteran meeting in the Boucke Building. Robert was working the front desk at the Office of Veteran’s Programs and overheard a conversation. Shelly was asking other female veterans, who were students majoring in art, if they would be interested in painting a mural. They declined, stating they were too busy. As Shelly was leaving the meeting, Robert offered to tackle the project. He said, “My name is Robert Morss, and I think I can get that done for you.” He had never painted a mural before, but his passion for history and his veteran status were the driving factors for his volunteering. This chance interaction in 2018 was the beginning of a strong friendship and the realization of a dream manifested in such a grand way in the middle of a pandemic.

The Great Wars Mural was unveiled at the Petersburg American Legion 100th Anniversary Celebration on August 1, 2020. Watch the full unveiling ceremony here.