Veterans Memorial Pointe

In 1997, Rochester Hills DPS foreman William "Ed" Leafdale led a group of volunteers to turn his vision for a veterans memorial into reality. The site at the corner of Avon and Livernois roads was at the geographic center of Rochester Hills, and was adjacent to both the Clinton River and the Clinton River Trail. Leafdale coordinated volunteers from area Boy Scout troops, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Rochester Area Community Foundation, and others who contributed to landscaping and fundraising for the project. More than $170,000 was raised to fund construction of the park, and the original work was accomplished in only 90 days. The park was formally dedicated on November 9, 1997.

Since the park opened, many additions and improvements have been made with the support of community organizations, especially the Boy Scouts. An official honor guard station was added in 2010 as an Eagle Scout project.

Veterans Memorial Pointe won the "Innovative Park Resources Award" from the Michigan Parks and Recreation Association in 1999 and the "President's Plaque" from Keep Michigan Beautiful, Inc., in 2006.

The park includes memorials for veterans of all U.S. conflicts since World War I and is the site of annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances each year.

"Park Will Honor Area Veterans," Detroit Free Press, October 20, 1997, p.17.

McKay, John. "Rochester Hills Unveils Improvements at Veterans Memorial Pointe," Rochester Patch [https://patch.com/michigan/rochester ; accessed 4 July 2020], May 23, 2013.

"Eagle Scout to Be Enhances Veterans Memorial Pointe in Rochester Hills, Rochester Media [rochestermedia.com : accessed 4 July 2020], January 9, 2017.

Shepard, Linda. "Veterans Pointe Celebrates 20 Years," Rochester Post, November 14, 2017.