05/30/2026
Today is the 60th anniversary of the unveiling of the Denial of War statue in Veterans Park, May 30, 1966. The 19-foot statue was sculpted by Harry Marinsky of Rowayton. Assisting with the unveiling were Norwalk residents Mrs. Marion Magrath, stepmother of Medal of Honor recipient Private First Class John Magrath, KIA in 1945; Mrs. Jessie Goldstein, mother of 1st Lieutenant Otto Goldstein, Jr., KIA in 1943; and Mrs. Elizabeth Valentik, mother of Staff Sergeant Paul Valentik, KIA/MIA in 1944; all Gold Star mothers. Mrs. Valentik lived directly across the street from the sculpture at 25 Seaview Avenue.
Mr. Marinsky explained that day that the figures represented all the military services, including women who took part in the nation’s wars, and all ethnic groups. The flag, raised in an unconventional manner, he said, represented patriotism and the continuing elevation of the nation. Arms of the figures in the statue, he explained, represent the upward movement of people toward freedom, and the irregular steps on the pedestal upon which the statue rests signify the destruction wrought by wars.
Harry Marinsky (1909-2008) was a member of the Artists’ Equity Association and the Silvermine Guild of Artists. In 1944, he exhibited for the first time at the Art Institute of Chicago, and in 1943 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He had his first one-man show at Madison Square Garden in 1946, followed by other one-man shows at Silvermine, Eggleston Gallery, and the Bodley Gallery. He also exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Rhode Island Museum of Art, and the Montross Gallery.
