A Changing of the Guard for Peachtree Corners Veterans’ Monument Association

They’d just finished working up a vigorous sweat at the Fowler YMCA in late 2015.

Retired Army Colonel Bob Ballagh was wearing an Army t-shirt. Tiffany Grave de Peralta, a former Navy commander, naturally wore a “T” emblazoned with her service branch.

Noticing each other’s garb, they grabbed towels and got a conversation going which eventually touched on a project then in its infancy — a permanent monument to military veterans from Peachtree Corners. Ballagh, who was spearheading the effort, asked Grave de Peralta to jump on board.

“I said I would help out,” she recalled, “but I would not ask people for money.”

She instead busied herself with valuable administrative tasks, such as helping locate local military veterans and line up volunteers.

Building on success

Now, the collaboration that began with a spinning class has moved into a new phase: Grave de Peralta will succeed Ballagh as executive director of the Peachtree Corners Veterans’ Monument Association, a position that he’s held since the effort kicked off in the mid-teens.

“I got a call from the mayor out of the blue and he told me that Bob wanted to resign and wanted me to take it over,” she related. “I gave it some thought and talked to Bob and thought ‘Why not?’ I believe in the project and am grateful for the opportunity.”

It’s part of a larger changing of the association’s center of gravity, from the fundraising, design and build phase — it was dedicated in the summer of 2019 — to maintenance of the welcoming and stately edifice in a prominent spot on the Town Green. A programming expansion may also be in the works.

As part of the leadership shift, retired US Army Colonel Ray Crum will take over the vice-presidency of the nonprofit from Doug Heckman, also an ex-Army colonel who’s done yeoman work since the organization’s inception. Jennifer Bonacci, a controller for IP Investments, replaces Frank Drewry as founding treasurer and chief financial officer. Topping off the cascade of changes is Jay Bergstresser, a Marine chaplain who saw combat in Iraq, joining the board.

“There was a little bit of burnout,” said Ballagh of his stepping back. “And frankly, my wife and I are considering a move to someplace else. I didn’t want to just say ‘we’re leaving, goodbye.’”

“I also figured that six years was enough time, and it was time to pass the torch on to someone else,” he added.

Heckman, who served as a sounding board for Ballagh and waded into fundraising as well, echoes that sentiment. “I think every organization needs a certain amount of turnover and I think this is our chance to let the next generation of volunteers take charge,” he said. And he gives Ballagh full credit for turning an anticipatory gleam in a few sets of eyes into solid, granite reality.

In fundraising (to the tune of a half-million dollars), arranging, fostering designing and overseeing the construction of the monument, said Heckman, “Over 90% of it was done by Bob and, in this era of people highlighting what they do, he is one of those rare selfless leaders who makes things happen.”

Plans for the future

Ballagh himself said he’ll stay on the group’s as past president while Grave de Peralta onboards and gets details of finance and other nitty-gritty information under her belt. That includes what Ballagh has described as some “modest” additional fundraising for maintenance through the sale of additional bricks and pavers. More than 1,000 have been engraved with veterans’ names and placed so far.

He’d also like to see the website freshened and functionality improved, particularly as regards a feature allowing those interested to look up the location of a commemorative brick and link to tribute videos developed by honorees’ families. More than 100 have been uploaded to date.

And there’s still additional room for engraving on the top of a ‘short wall’ that encloses the oval monument, he added.

Ballagh said other things can be done in scheduling and providing for ongoing programming and ceremonies for Memorial and Veterans Day. And he said the site may play host to other, related events on days other than those official observances.

The City allowed a commemoration of 9/11 last September and will include that annually to honor first responders.

Also, “There’s a Veterans park in Johns Creek and this year, they’ve convinced the Georgia Veterans Hall of Fame to have their awards ceremony there. That sounds pretty good to me,” he said.

Mayor Mike Mason lauds the group of board members and volunteers who shepherded the monument into a reality, in particular singling out Ballagh and Heckman. As he put it, “they did a great job of providing vision, in that they saw the role of veterans and a veterans’ monument in a new city very clearly.”

Officials also think field trips by schoolchildren giving them a better sense of US military history holds potential value. Grave de Peralta said that she’d like to generate publicity for local schools, so that students will know about the military historical resource virtually in their backyards.