World War II Illinois Cenotaph

Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois

A cenotaph is an empty tomb erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. The World War II Illinois Veterans Committee and the architect agreed that it would be an appropriate way to honor the more than 22,000 Illinois soldiers who lost their lives in the war. A cenotaph was favored over the Killed-in-Action Monument because of the problematic logistics involved in listing all 22,000 names,

The Cenotaph takes the form of a black granite cube that aligns with the top of the surrounding granite walls listing the major battles of the war. The Cenotaph is centrally located at the end of the Veterans Plaza. At this time the plaza was also expanded to accommodate additional gray granite bricks inscribed with the biographical information of Illinois WWII Veterans. The Cenotaph, at the end of the expanded plaza, is a counterpoint to the concrete globe along the central axis of the Monument.

The logistics of listing 22,000 names became the catalyst for a graphic exercise that described the magnitude of the number in graphic terms. The graphic was developed for a group show in a Chicago Gallery. To represent the concept, the ground below the Cenotaph was inscribed with the words "A SOLDIER FROM ILLINOIS DIED ON A BATTLEFIELD,...." This was followed by the phrase "...,AND ANOTHER, ..." To remain legible within the physical space allotted for display, the phrase was repeated 11,000 times - only half of the listing. Therefore, the graphic ends with the phrase "...,AND TWICE AGAIN."