MEMORIAL — A memorial plaque is situated at the Willow Grove Mine Memorial site in Neffs. -- Staff photo

NEFFS — The United Mine Workers of America held a memorial service at the Willow Grove Mine site, honoring 72 miners who lost their lives in an explosion on March 16, 1940.

On Saturday, the UMWA, along with several residents went to the mine’s memorial site to honor the miners who died.

“They left the house in the morning to go to the job site. They kissed their wives goodbye, and within a blink of an eye, they became the widows, and they left their children,” UMWA Local 1304 Financial Secretary Mel Woods said. “It was a terrible thing that happened in 1940. Then, the Farmington mine blew up in 1968, which killed 78 miners.”

He added that both catastrophic disasters led to Congress acting to pass safety laws in the mines which was a big win for miners.

On March 21, 2020, a memorial stone and statue were installed. Shortly after, a bell that was previously at the Sacred Hearts Church was moved and placed on the site as well. A couple of Eagle Scouts earned their badges through assisting with the two projects.

Woods said that, in April, a pavilion will be constructed at the memorial site. He added that the pavilion is funded through donations.

“We’re putting our pennies together to take care of it, and we also maintain the property,” he said.

Woods,78, said the other members involved in keeping up with the memorial site with him are around his age. So there will come a time where they’re not able to cut the grass.

“We’ll have a landscaper possibly one day do this for us, because we don’t want to let it go,” Woods said. “We’ve put so much work into it.”

UMWA members, the Ohio Department of Forestry, former state representative Jack Cera, D-Bellaire, and residents worked hard to make it a proper memorial site with volunteers cleaning up the garbage and routinely maintaining the lawn.

Woods said that it was important to create the memorial to ensure that nobody ever forgets about the tragedy that occurred.

“The UMWA has always honored the fallen, and it’s very important that we do that. I mean, it was a terrible thing that happened, but it did happen,” Woods said. “A lot of them were veterans, too. They had served in the Second World War, they were willing to go to fight for the country. It was such a tragedy that had happened and we just want to honor them.”

Joe Rugola, international vice president of the American Federation of State, County, And Municipal Employees, spoke during the ceremony. He began by saying he comes from a coal mining family in southwest Pennsylvania, so the ceremony has a real personal meaning to him.

He added that the event allows attendees to connect with each other about the importance of this disaster and keeping the memory alive.

“This event gets us honoring the legacy of these men who died here, who really helped to build America and make it strong,” Rugola said. “I drove down from Columbus, and I did so because it’s a tremendous honor for me to even be here today. Mel invited me to speak, and I told him that I didn’t really feel like it was … that I was deserving of the honor, but he asked me to come down.”

Ohio AFL-CIO president Tim Burga then spoke about how honored he was to be able to be a part of the ceremony.

“It is my pledge and the responsibility of all union members to never forget those who contract disease, are injured or killed on the job. The legacy of the United Mine Workers of America and its presence today continues to inspire the labor movement in the ongoing fight for safe workplaces and just compensation for workers and their families in the time of need,” Burga said. “As a third-generation member of the United Steelworkers, I know that my union, and many other industrial unions, sprang from the foundation laid by the United Mine Workers of America, which was founded in 1890 at a convention in Columbus, Ohio. The founding of the United Mine Workers of America, its principled leadership in the pursuit of economic and social justice and its hard fought gains for workers’ rights form a legacy that the labor movement proudly promises to uphold and build upon.”