Dodona Manor to host 19th Annual Veterans Day Commemoration

By Audrey Carpenter

As is tradition in Leesburg, military veterans and the public are invited to participate in the George C. Marshall International Center Veterans Day Commemoration Nov. 11th at 10:30 a.m. on the grounds of Dodona Manor.

Dodona Manor is Marshall’s former home at 312 E. Market Street, built in the early 1800s. Marshall is distinguished for his long Army career, attaining the rank of 5-star general and also holding positions as Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and President of the American Red Cross. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1901.

In 1953, Marshall was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the Marshall Plan, a post-World War II European recovery plan that saved many countries from economic depression and Communist takeover.

Dodona was the home of Marshall and his wife Katherine from 1943 to 1959, and opened to the public as a museum on Veterans Day in 2005 after extensive renovation work. It is open year-round with docent tours.

Each year the Marshall Center also awards one recipient the George C. Marshall award based on selfless service, unwavering integrity and visionary leadership through its Ethical Leadership program, and operates a high school, middle school and professional program that hosts leadership seminars.

This year, Brig. Gen. Adam C. Volant (U.S. Army, Ret.), former Director of Operations for U.S. Army Information Warfare Command, will be the Veterans Day keynote speaker, reflecting on the meaning of the day and contributions of veterans to the community. Vintage military vehicles will be on site for exploration and Dodona Manor will be open for free tours, according to the Center’s website. The event will be held rain or shine.

On Nov. 3, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-Va) announced that she and Senators Mark Warner and Tom Kaine (both D-Va) introduced legislation to designate the Marshall house as an affiliated area under the National Park Service (NPS). NPS designation would provide new resources to preserve the house, including technical assistance to support restoration efforts, accessibility improvements and new programming.

In Nov. 2019, Wexton, Warner and Kaine sent a letter to NPS requesting it conduct a survey to determine whether the landmark would be suitable as an affiliated area. NPS agreed and released a survey of findings in September 2022 that concluded that the site would be appropriate for that designation based on the preliminary analysis of a reconnaissance survey, according to Wexton.

In addition to the legislation, the legislators have formally petitioned the Director of the National Park Service to grant Dodona Manor secretarial designation as an affiliated area, which would allow the site to use NPS branding and provide some of the benefits that it would receive under legislative designation, although without the full funding and flexibility.

“We are extremely grateful to Representative Wexton and Senators Kaine and Warner for introducing this important legislation. Dodona Manor is much more than the former home of Nobel Peace Laureate George C. Marshall. Its rooms witnessed history. While living in the house from 1943 to 1959, General Marshall built and led the Army that won World War II, managed the creation of the Marshall Plan to restore hope and prosperity to war-torn Europe and provided counsel to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman. National Park Service designation will ensure preservation of this special place so we can share this history with generations to come,” said Thomas Greenspon, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Center.

The Center has also launched a capital campaign to support construction of a new state-of-the-art museum and visitor support center on the grounds of Dodona. The growing number of visitors and events are putting an increasing strain on the historical structure that was built for a family.

To preserve the home, the Board of Directors found it necessary to build a structure separate from the house, said Pete Janhunen, director of the Ethical Leadership program. The museum will host permanent and special exhibits, have classroom space for the leadership programs and office space for staff.

It is anticipated that the cost of the new museum and visitor center could be $2-3 million with an opening date within the next few years, Janhunen said. Donations to fund the new museum and visitor center are accepted through the Center’s website. For more information visit: https://www.georgecmarshall.org/