Remembering those who sacrificed

On Memorial Day, we recognize those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. These monuments on the UW campus in Seattle honor their memory.

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Memorial Way

From the campus entrance at NE 45th Street and 17th Avenue NE to the flagpole turnaround at Kane Hall, we are reminded of the many brave individuals we have lost during their military service. Along Memorial Way, stone pylons, sycamore trees, memorials and plaques connect us to this shared history.


WWI Memorial

In honor of the 58 UW students and faculty who died in World War I, 58 London plane sycamore trees were planted along Memorial Way on Armistice Day in 1920. This entrance to campus is framed by two stone pylons placed in 1928. Each pylon carries a plaque with the names of UW community members who lost their lives during the war.

Memorial Way entrance
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WWII Memorial — Interrupted Journey

This memorial, designed by Jon Gierlich and dedicated in 2001, is located at the flagpole at the south end of Memorial Way. It honors UW students, alumni, faculty and staff who gave their lives in World War II. The commemorative sculpture uses “rings of memory” to symbolize the transition from peace to war and finally to peace again.

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flag pole with engraved names

Medal of Honor Memorial

At the turnaround where Memorial Way meets Kane Hall, this memorial — designed by Michael Magrath, Heidi Wastweet and Dodi Fredericks — names eight UW alumni who received the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military honor. The memorial is anchored by a five-point star similar to the medal’s star. At the north point of the circle is a plain, polished serpentine rock. A basalt column in front of the stone features the face of Minerva, goddess of wisdom and war, who is also pictured on the medal. Nearby are four stones surrounding another with words from the recipients’ medal citations in bronze.

two large stones
engraving of the word courage on the ground

Spanish Civil War monument on the UW campus in Seattle.

Spanish Civil War Monument

Created by David Ryan, the United States’ first major monument to American volunteers in the Spanish Civil War was dedicated at the UW in 1998. Located west of the HUB, this granite stone is mounted with a sculpted bronze plaque that honors the 11 UW students, 3,000 Americans and 40,000 international volunteers who fought in the International Brigades between 1936 and 1939.


For a more in-depth history of memorials on campus, visit the website of the Office of Student Veteran Life.