By Veterans Day on Nov. 11, much of the east lawn of the Mercer County Courthouse will be paved with some very special bricks.

As part of a new World War II memorial, each brick will bear the name of -- and give tribute to -- a Mercer County World War II veteran. The impetus for the construction of the memorial began about four years ago.

Mary Jane Marks, the widow of Realtor Sam Marks, started questioning why Mercer no longer had a World War II memorial.

"Down where the bank stands now, there used to be a wooden placard or sign that had the name of every Mercer borough resident that served in WWII,'' said Gary Solanger, the county's Veterans Affairs director. "When the bank was expanded, somebody decided they didn't need it.''

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