Fallen veterans remembered in Florence’s street names

Nine streets to be named after fallen veterans

By: Scott Morgan
nbsp;  FLORENCE — One by one, the crowd heard the stories. John Wesley Harding’s was brief. He had served only two days in the Navy and died when his ship went down after being sent off to support the fleet in World War I.
   Henry Engle’s story ended in England on New Year’s Eve, 1944. Hansel Daniels’ story went off to Korea and never officially ended. Officially speaking, he remains listed as missing in action.
   George Abrams, Thomas Applegate, Steven Seyebe, George Webber, Jacob Leffler and Howard Regars have stories too; stories from World War I, World War II and Korea that all ended the same, tragic way. All of them went to war, none of them made it out alive.
   Half a century removed from the Korean conflict, these nine men, each a native of Florence Township, are about to share a common future. In what township officials refer to as a small gesture of respect, nine streets in three township neighborhoods will be named for this set of fallen veterans. The distinction was announced during the Township Council’s Nov. 2 meeting and completes, save for one last man, the township’s plans to name local thoroughfares for all of Florence’s 37 vets who died in combat — and efforts to honor World War II veteran Joseph Seamon in the same way are in the works, said Mayor Michael Muchowski.
   Several newly built streets surrounding Olive and Sixth streets get the lion’s share of names. Here is where residents will drive home and receive their mail on Abrams Drive, Webber Court, Applegate Drive, Harding Drive or Engle Court. The Crossroads East development, nestled between Florence-Columbus and Potts Mill roads will house Regars Drive, Leffler Circle and Seyebe Lane and the Whitesell property, off Route 130 near Cedar Lane, will be home to Daniels Way.
   A street for Mr. Seamon will be named when a new street is made available, officials said. The towship’s other 27 fallen vets already have streets named in their memories.
   Though the gesture was seen by township officials as a relatively small one, given the weight of the men’s service, Mayor Muchowski said naming streets for the township’s fallen pays "the ultimate respect" to the memory of these men. Too often, the mayor said, names for streets sound as if they "were picked out of a hat." Now, he said, people who move in will understand that the name on the street sign is far more than just a name.
   Steve Mognancki, himself a veteran of World War II, said to the Township Council last week, "It’s a great honor being here as a veteran today." Visibly emotional, Mr. Mognancki recounted a childhood sitting next to boys like Steve Seyebe at the local fishing hole, and a number of the men above in school. For him, the honor bestowed upon his fellow vets is just right, but not over.
   "I hope this program continues until all 37 are done," Mr. Mognancki said. "I will not rest until they are all honored."