Street at YSU pays tribute to veterans

Spring Street has been renamed Armed Forces Boulevard.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — James Bobovnyk joined the Army and began serving in the Korean War in 1949, when he was 19.

A year later, Cpl. Bobovnyk was missing. He would never return home to his parents and his eight brothers and sisters on Custer Avenue in Youngstown.

“We never got his body,” said his sister, Martha Pizzulo of McDonald. “Only a rosary and a bathing suit.”

Youngstown State University honored Bobovnyk’s sacrifice and the sacrifices of countless other soldiers with the renaming of Spring Street on campus to Armed Forces Boulevard.

The dedication and ribbon cutting for the road was Friday evening.

Five honored guests representing each military conflict of the 20th and 21st centuries attended, along with representatives of veterans organizations throughout the Valley.

Pizzulo attended for her brother. Others were Gus Thomas of Youngstown, attending for his father, Army Pfc. Pete Thomas, who served in World War I; Marines Sgt. Kyle Wilmouth of Austintown, a YSU senior who represented veterans serving in the Gulf and Middle East wars; Carl Nunziato of Youngstown, an Army major who served in Vietnam; and Harry Meshel, a former state senator who was a carpenter’s mate 3rd class in the Navy Seabees during World War II. They each received a medal of honor from the university.

The honored guests gathered with others in Beeghly Center as color guards from each branch of the service opened the ceremony.

“Veterans have given so much to defend their country and freedom,” YSU Vice President Cynthia Anderson told the crowd. “This is located on our campus, ensuring the generations will remember their sacrifice.”

The street underwent $1.2 million in renovations and features banners recognizing the five branches of the military.

The renaming followed the opening of YSU’s Office of Veterans Affairs in May, which helps veterans entering the university, said Anderson. YSU was also designated a Military Friendly school for 2010 by GI Jobs magazine in June.

“I can’t think of a moment in my tenure that I’ve been more proud,” said YSU President David Sweet.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, told guests that people should remember what veterans do in their communities every day.

“I wanted to celebrate with you what YSU is doing,” he said. “This city’s coming back, in large part because of this campus.”

Lauren Linville, a Coast Guard petty officer 2nd Class and a YSU student, said that being part of the military is sharing a common bond.

“This boulevard is that bond,” she said.