New stained-glass window honors local medal of honor recipient

MILLBROOK — Grace Church in Millbrook was filled to capacity to observe the dedication of the new stained-glass window on the west façade on Saturday, Oct. 25.

Area clergy, parishioners and the community gathered to participate in the historic event, a ceremony led by the Rev. Dr. Matthew Calkins, Rector of Grace Church.

The new window honors the lives of three individuals — a Korean War Medal of Honor recipient, a former First Lady, and a 15th-century English saint and mystic.

“What Johnson did was incredible,” said Gary Cifferi, member of the Charles Johnson Medal of Honor VFW Post 9008 of Millbrook.

“We always knew he was a hero,” said Johnson family member Edward Johnson Jr., representing the large contingent of family members present. Johnson noted that it had taken 70 years to recognize Charles Johnson’s extraordinary courage with the award of the Medal of Honor in a January 2025 ceremony at the White House led by former President Joseph Biden. He added that the family is thankful that his memory has been kept alive.

During his Korean War service in 1953, Pfc. Charles Johnson demonstrated extraordinary valor in saving the lives of 10 of his fellow soldiers, some with injuries, by drawing enemy fire. Placing himself in danger to save the men of his unit, he was killed.

The left panel of the new church window memorializes Johnson who is depicted standing in a barren landscape carrying a 17-year-old wounded infantryman to safety.

The right window panel of three honors the memory of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt whose life had brought her close to Millbrook, including her later years in Hyde Park.

The Right Rev. Alan Shin remembered Eleanor Roosevelt as “a person who fought for justice and equality for all people, a lifelong public advocate, embracing the humanity of all people.”

A panel of readers presented excerpts from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. Eleanor Roosevelt had been instrumental in its creation and adoption.

“A life of compassion and strength, a champion of human rights,” Shin described the life of the former First Lady, depicted in the window amid blue blooming flowers.

Rev. Shin recalled former First Lady Roosevelt’s words, “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”

“She found courage by being faithful,” Shin said.

Calkins recounted the lengthy process of creating the window. “We made many drawings. The window represents a balance in gender, with two lay heroes known locally, Pfc. Johnson and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The third panel honors Saint Julian, widely credited with having produced the oldest English-language work known to have been written by a woman, “Revelations of Divine Love.”

“Her story was all about love, a journey of faith,”Calkins said.

The three panels of the new window invite contemplation of courage, faith and righteousness, the overarching theme of the dedication ceremony.

“Let us all work toward more courage, faith and righteousness in the name of love,” Calkins said.

“We are thankful that the window project happened here and at this point in history,” said the Rt. Rev. Douglas Fisher, Bishop of Western Massachusetts, at close of the service. He had served Grace Church in Millbrook between 2000 and 2012, returning to take part in the event.

The new window was designed by artist Chris Duke Gerbi whose history with Grace Church spanned the 1980s and 1990s. She is now a resident of Corning, New York.

“I am proud to have been part of a project so hopeful, so life-giving,” she commented in the dedication bulletin.