Peg Noonan Park Home To Peace Monument

     It is much smaller than the one in Plymouth, but Falmouth has its own rock and, at least to its supporters, the message attached to it is just as great.
     That message is one of peace. Since last summer a group of Falmouth residents, inspired by R. Jude Wilber of Fay Road, Woods Hole, decided they wanted to honor the idea of peace by dedicating a monument to it somewhere in town.
     That monument—in the form of a native glacial rock with the word “peace” carved on it—received a home on Monday after selectmen voted unanimously to allow it to be placed at Peg Noonan Park on Main Street.
     Sally P. Fritz of Sandy Reach, East Falmouth, one of the leaders of the peace rock movement, appeared before selectmen requesting permission to place it there.
     Supporters, she said, have included the Falmouth No Place for Hate Committee, the Falmouth Green Party, and Quakers. In addition, she said, Falmouth Director of Human Services Peter D. Kirwin, Rabbi Elias J. Lieberman of the Falmouth Jewish Congregation, and State Representative Matthew C. Patrick (D-Falmouth) are among the ones who signed a petition to permit a peace rock in town.
     The rock, which is roughly three feet tall and four feet wide, she said, has been donated by William C. Bourne of North Falmouth Highway and will be engraved by Baker Monument Company. The lettering, which will be lower case, will be painted black, contrasting with the pink color of the stone.
     Selectman Mary (Pat) Flynn was curious why organizers did not elect to choose capital letters.
     Ms. Fritz said those involved in this project thought that capital lettering was too rigid, whereas lower case was gentler and more inviting.
     Once the engraving is complete, which is anticipated to be done today, the rock will be placed next to two benches at Peg Noonan Park. Falmouth Tree Warden and Parks Superintendent Brian J. Dale is allowing the group to remove one yew shrub in order to fit the rock between the benches.
     Mr. Dale suggested that the selectmen approve this as a temporary location. When asked by Ms. Flynn why, he explained that he has yet to see the rock and is not sure whether it will be too overpowering from the road. In their vote, selectmen agreed to revisit this next spring.
     As to what the rock represents for her group, Ms. Fritz said, it is meant to “honor the peacemakers who seek non-violent ways to create connections and resolve conflicts without violence. We intend the peace rock to symbolize this hope and vision.”
     In a phone interview yesterday, Ms. Fritz said the entire process has been lengthy, but enjoyable. There were some obstacles in their way, including a rejection by the Falmouth Library Board of Trustees and Falmouth Veterans Council, to place the rock on the library lawn.
     Despite some hurdles, Ms. Fritz and others have never wavered in their enthusiasm for the project. That has been bolstered, she said, in discussions with complete strangers “who were willing to consider that peace is better than discord between individuals, in homes, on town committees, in our country and with other countries. The conversations with thoughtful people was one of the best parts.
     So too, she said, was a more covert operation she started in December. That is when, under the shadow of darkness, she began depositing small stones at the doorsteps of businesses, churches, post offices, grocery stores, and homes in Falmouth.
     With the word “peace” written on them, they were mini-monuments meant to drum up support for the group’s more grandiose idea. “It was fun sneaking around with peace pebbles,” she said. “I hoped it would make people smile.”
     She estimated she delivered a few hundred, she said, with the underlying “idea to create goodwill for a rock on public land. We have so many memorials to warriors, this was a way to memorialize peacemakers in all the various contexts.”
     At the Saturday morning peace vigils in front of the post office on Main Street, which she regularly attends, she often brought a basket full of the miniature peace rocks, handing them out to fellow activists and those passing by. Many who take part in the vigils have been responsible for supporting this grassroots effort to establish a monument to peace in Falmouth.
     Ms. Fritz’s work has created at least one copy cat in town. A larger rock than the ones she has been distributing with the word peace on it was placed near the crosswalk adjacent to Peg Noonan Park. “I am guessing that one of our people is responsible for that, but it was not done on behalf of the peace rock group,” she said.
     Chairman of the Falmouth Board of Selectmen Ahmed A. Mustafa said few have even noticed the rock there. It is proof, he said, that Peg Noonan Park is an ideal spot for the monument.
     However, Marc P. Finneran of Trotting Park Road, East Falmouth, disagreed, arguing that the peace rock “is a complete political statement” because of the group behind the project. “Everyone knows who they are,” he said. “They are the people from the post office. They are to the left of the left.”
     He added that, “If the town does this, they are endorsing their side.”
     Selectman Kevin E. Murphy disputed this notion, saying the concept of peace is different for everyone, which his fellow board members expounded upon.
     Selectman Brent V.W. Putnam said the notion conjures up images Sunday mornings at service in St. Anthony’s Church, when parishioners are asked to wish each other peace.
     Quoting Bruno Picozzi, Mr. Mustafa said, “Peace is what happens when all peoples are free to develop themselves in the way they want, without having to fight for their rights.”