Sen. Shaheen lays Biden stone at Cathedral of Pines
RINDGE — U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., presented a stone from President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware to the Cathedral of the Pines’ Altar of the Nation Wednesday morning.
The Altar of the Nation includes a presidential stone from nearly every U.S. president since Harry Truman. The Biden stone is the first to be placed there since Barack Obama’s stone in 2016; Donald Trump did not donate a stone during his presidency, according to Jim Banghart, treasurer of the board of trustees at the Cathedral of the Pines.
The stones that make up the main body of the altar come from all 50 states. President Biden’s stone follows the tradition of previous donations coming from the homes, libraries or gravesites of U.S. presidents.
“I am proud to take part in this solemn tradition by dedicating a stone from my home state of Delaware to this sanctuary of sacrifice,” President Biden wrote in a letter for the occasion. “... Throughout America’s history, whenever the forces of darkness tried to extinguish the light of liberty, our troops were there to hold the lantern high for all to see. It is our duty as a Nation to honor their legacy and uphold the vision for which our fallen heroes lived and died.”
The altar also contains stones signifying important people and events in U.S. history. President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s stone was one he picked from Omaha Beach, the site of the Normandy Invasion in June 6, 1944. Eisenhower and the Allied Forces led the historic invasion that helped them win World War II.
George W. Bush’s stone came from the Pentagon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Sibyl and Douglas Sloane III purchased the property now known as the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge in the fall of 1937. The Sloanes turned the property into a war memorial after their son, Lt. Sanderson “Sandy” Sloane’s plane was shot down over Germany in 1944.
The Altar of the Nation, which was the spot Lt. Sloane had picked out for his future home, was built in 1946 and recognized by Congress in 1957 as a national memorial to American men and women who lost their lives in war, according to board of trustees Chair Greg Walsh.
“I admire the vision of Doug and Sibyl Sloane,” Sen. Shaheen said to the crowd gathered for the occasion. “They were ahead of their time ... and it reminds us of the importance of having places like this to reflect and honor everyone, regardless of their background.”
