LAWRENCE — At the funeral of John Ramey, the priest suggested building a monument to celebrate the life of the Lebanese mill worker.
Now, 96 years later, Ramey's ultimate sacrifice during the Bread and Roses Strike will be immortalized with a new headstone at Immaculate Conception Cemetery.
It will be dedicated Monday by Monsignor Peter Azar, pastor of St. Anthony Maronite Church, as part of the city's annual Bread and Roses Festival.
"We are very proud of our history and his role in one of Lawrence's most celebrated events, which not only changed the lives of workers here but those everywhere," Steven Kfoury said.
"All in all, we think its an appropriate recognition for a life cut short and a great sacrifice," said James Beauchesne, supervisor of visitor services at Lawrence Heritage State Park.
The festival commemorates the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike when 30,000 workers walked out of the textile mills for nine weeks in protest against wage and hours cuts.
Workers from different ethnic groups came together for the rights of all, and lives were lost.
The first victim was Anna Lopizzo, an Italian immigrant who died of a gunshot wound, followed by Ramey, who was killed by a bayonet. Jonas Smolskas, a spinner, died from a blow to the head.
Lawrence historian Jonas Stundza has made it his mission that these victims not be forgotten.
"People like him could have been lost in history," Stundza said. "You have to bring history alive to a new generation."
Growing up in Lawrence, Stundza remembers reading a sentence about the strike, which was referred to as "The Upheaval of 1912."
Placing headstones on the victims' graves is one way to recognize them, and because they are interred close to each other in Immaculate Conception Cemetery, he can lead tours.
Stundza coordinated the efforts for Ramey's memorial, along with Kfoury, members of Ramey's family, the American Lebanese Awareness Association, Pamela Yameen and the Lawrence History Center.
Ramey's headstone features a single rose and several grain stalks, symbols of the strike.
In addition to the dedication, the Bread and Roses Festival features international music, dancing, food and entertainment on three stages.
