The other tower on that side recognizes those who fought in the Revolution and Shay's Rebellion. The pillar on the west end of the north side of the bridge commemorates the sacrifices of the early settlers, those who died in the 1675 King Philip's War, and the various French and Indian Wars that lasted until 1763. When the bridge was reconstructed in 1996, a fifth plaque was added to honor members of the military from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, 'and other conflicts around the world.'

The four large towers that are topped by a lighted globe each have a large bronze plaque at their base to memorialize those who fought and died since the inception of the settlement in 1636, up to World War I. Conceived during World War I, construction began in 1920 and it was opened to traffic in August of 1922.

The biggest, at 1551-feet long and 82.5-feet wide, is the beautiful Memorial Bridge spanning the Connecticut River. The actual memorials, and there are many of them, are such a part of the everyday landscape most people don't even notice them. McCurdy was the Director of the Division of Athletes, Hygiene and Health for the American YMCA among American troops in France.Memorial Day weekend is a fitting time to wrap up our fourth special section on the 375th anniversary of Springfield, a community that has a long history of honoring those who served and died for their country. Attended by 25,000 people, the Games were a huge success. In 1918, McCurdy realized the need “for an extensive programme of sports and recreation in the immediate postwar period that would bridge the gap and ease the transition between military service and civilian life.” The result was the Inter-Allied Games, the biggest international sports event that had ever been held at that time.

In 1924, he published one of the first articles for Exercise Physiology. He contributed to the field of physical education in many ways, including his studies on the relationship between heart rate, blood pressure, and motor tasks in adolescent boys. They are likely students at the International YMCA Training School (now known as Springfield College).The coach for the 1898-1899 academic year was James Huff McCurdy (1866-1940), a graduate of Springfield College (class of 1890) who taught football at his alma mater for eighteen years. This lantern slide, “Football Practice I (1898-1899),” shows two football players, one of whom has just punted the ball.

Springfield 1898 civilian