Millersville will honor one of its own.

Pavilion A at Freedom Memorial Park will be christened The John Herr Jr. Pavilion in a ceremony that fittingly will be held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, at 9 Shertzer Lane, Millersville, beginning at 11 a.m.

Jack, as he was known, graduated from Penn Manor High School in 1943, served in the military during World War II, operated the family supermarket, and was a friend to numerous local organizations. He died in January 2024 at the age of 99.

The ceremony will begin with an invocation by Grace United Methodist Church minister Kerry Leeper. Organizations that donated to the purchase of the plaque will be given the opportunity to have a representative speak at the dedication: the Millersville Area Historical Society (MAHS), which spearheaded the project; the Millersville Lions Club; the Millersville Woman's Club; the Penn Manor Alumni Association; Millersville-Manor VFW Post 7294; and the Conestoga Area Historical Society.

Until it is affixed to the pavilion, the plaque is being kept by MAHS president Phil Gerber in a special brown paper bag, one that bears the logo of John Herr's Village Market, the grocery store founded by Jack's grandfather Dan.

Gerber approached Millersville borough council about naming the pavilion in honor of Jack and was permitted to proceed. Gerber said Jack was one of the largest employers in Millersville when he ran the family business, perhaps second only to Millersville University.

"Any time anything was happening in the borough, Jack offered to provide food or drinks or help in any way he could," said Gerber.

Jack graduated from Penn Manor at the age of 17. With his parents' permission, he joined the Army Air Corps, and he was a gunner on missions over Germany. The plaque lists Jack's many contributions to local groups. He was a Commonwealth National Bank Advisory board member and served on the Penn Manor School District board of directors for 12 years.

Jack led the effort to build the Millersville Lions Club Pool in 1961 when he was president of that organization. He was the recipient of a Melvin Jones Fellowship from Lions Club International. "Today, the pool is thriving because of his leadership and the vision he had for a community pool," said Ron Trout, a fellow Lion who was a friend of Jack's.

Jack served as president of Millersville Area Meals on Wheels and was one of three founding members of the Millersville Business Association. He was a major supporter of both the Millersville Area Historical Society and the Conestoga Area Historical Society. A life member of Post 7294, Jack was grand marshal of the Millersville Parade in 2001.

The plaque also includes three images - a B-17 bomber like the kind Jack served on in World War II, a grocery bag, and a stagecoach. Dan sold produce from a stagecoach prior to opening the market.

Keith Eshleman, the current owner of John Herr's Village Market, stated that Jack worked tirelessly for the Lions Club; provided groceries to those in need; and aided his alma mater, Penn Manor, all "because it was the right thing to do."

The Eshlemans and Herrs have been linked since the early 1960s, thanks to a chance meeting between Keith's father, James, and Jack's dad, John Sr. John Sr. hired James to unload watermelons when James was 7 years old, and Keith said his father was unofficially adopted by John Sr. Many years later, James bought the market.

"As community support goes, you'd have to look pretty far to find someone as dedicated to a community as Jack was to his," Eshleman said.

Jack's son Daniel said, "It humbles me and makes me so proud of my father that the community recognizes my father in this special way. My dad strived off the power of connection to the community and the importance of giving to our town of Millersville."

Daniel added that the market served as a hub for the area. "The grocery store wasn't just a place of business; it was a place where so many people and family generations could work and meet," he said. "While I feel Dad's absence every day, (I find comfort) knowing that this pavilion will provide a place of gathering and maybe remind people of my father's generosity and strong belief in Millersville."