In Search of Arthur J. Prescott: Visiting the Grave of a Newton Falls Legend
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It was the day after our anniversary (July 2, 2026); the temperature felt like it was about 212 degrees outside, and naturally we had to decide how we wanted to spend the day. For most couples, that might mean finding somewhere air-conditioned, relaxing at home, or maybe going out for a nice meal. For us, the answer was quite obvious: let's go to the cemetery.
That's how we found ourselves at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Youngstown, Ohio, on a sweltering summer day with a specific goal in mind. We weren't simply wandering through the cemetery looking for remarkable gravestones. We were searching for one particular person whose legacy is deeply connected to Newton Falls and the Newton Falls Exempted Village School District: Arthur J. Prescott.
For people associated with Newton Falls Schools, the name Arthur J. Prescott may already sound familiar. His influence on the district can still be found today, even though many current students and residents may not know the entire story behind the name. Prescott was an educator, administrator, coach, adviser, veteran, and someone who helped establish traditions that remain part of Newton Falls Schools generations later.
Our goal for this visit was simple. We wanted to find Arthur J. Prescott's grave, pay our respects, and document where he was buried so that others interested in Newton Falls history could find him as well.
Who Was Arthur J. Prescott?
Arthur J. Prescott played several important roles during his years with Newton Falls Schools. At various points in his career, he served the district as an English teacher, guidance counselor, football coach, and superintendent.
He wasn't simply someone who came to Newton Falls, worked a job, and moved on. Prescott became involved in numerous aspects of the school and helped create programs and traditions that would continue long after his death.
One of his significant contributions was serving as Newton Falls' first guidance counselor. Today, guidance and counseling services are an expected part of a school district, but that wasn't always the case. Prescott was part of an era when these programs were developing and becoming increasingly important within public education.
Athletics were another part of Prescott's involvement with Newton Falls. He coached football and also helped with the Varsity N Club, an organization for Newton Falls students who earned varsity letters through athletics.
Prescott was involved in documenting school history as well. He served as a yearbook adviser, helping students preserve the memories, people, activities, and accomplishments of their school years.
However, one of Prescott's contributions still resonates at Newton Falls events today.
Arthur J. Prescott wrote the words to the Newton Falls alma mater.
To Newton Falls we stand and sing,
And praise to alma mater bring.
Ever will our thoughts to thee
Be pledged in love and loyalty.
Friendships true and memories dear
Will live throughout each coming year.
Fellowship within thy halls
Has bound our hearts to Newton Falls.
Every time generations of Newton Falls students, graduates, teachers, and community members sing those words, they are participating in a tradition connected directly to Prescott.
The Arthur J. Prescott Chapter of the National Honor Society
There is another place where Prescott's name remains especially prominent within Newton Falls Schools: the National Honor Society.
Marianne knows the Prescott story particularly well because she serves as the National Honor Society adviser for the district. The Newton Falls chapter carries the name of the Arthur J. Prescott Chapter of the National Honor Society.
There is an important reason for that distinction.
Prescott founded the National Honor Society chapter at Newton Falls. Originally, the organization was simply known as the Newton Falls chapter. Following Prescott's untimely death, however, the chapter was renamed in his honor.
Today, his name continues to be part of National Honor Society inductions at Newton Falls. Each new group of students joining the organization becomes part of a chapter whose history stretches back to the work Prescott began decades ago.
That makes his story more than an engaging piece of local trivia. There is still a direct connection between Arthur J. Prescott and students attending Newton Falls today.
Prescott's wife, Geraldine, was also an educator in the Newton Falls district, further strengthening the family's connection to the community and its schools.
Unfortunately, Arthur's life was relatively short. He died at just 49, ending a career that had already made a significant impact on the district and community.
Arthur J. Prescott, the Veteran
There was another important part of Prescott's story that ultimately caused us to make two trips to his grave.
Arthur J. Prescott was a veteran of World War II.
He served as a lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces, adding military service to an already impressive life of service to his school and community.
When we originally located his grave at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, we filmed our visit and headed home. The plan was to edit the video and hopefully have it ready around the Fourth of July.
But something about our visit kept bothering us.
While walking through the cemetery, we noticed American flags marking the graves of veterans. This is a common sight in cemeteries around Memorial Day and throughout the summer. Small American flags stand beside the graves, recognizing those who served their country.
When we visited Prescott's grave, however, we hadn't noticed a flag.
Knowing that he was a World War II veteran, it seemed wrong that he didn't have a flag.
It wasn't about blaming the cemetery or anyone responsible for placing the flags. With thousands of graves and records stretching across generations, it is understandable that someone might miss a flag. We simply knew that Prescott had served, and we wanted his grave to be flagged too.
Fortunately, our house contains a little bit of everything.
Marianne remembered that we had a box in the garage labeled "Patriot," and inside were American flags.
So, despite already having filmed the video once, we grabbed a flag and returned to Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Arthur J. Prescott was a veteran.
We wanted to make sure there was a flag at his grave.
Searching Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Finding Prescott's grave turned out to be an adventure of its own.
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a beautiful cemetery, but searching for a particular grave can be challenging because many of the grave markers are flat to the ground. This style makes maintaining and mowing the cemetery easier, but it can make locating an individual grave considerably more difficult.
Grass also begins growing around and sometimes over the edges of older markers. From a distance, some stones almost disappear into the landscape.
When you're looking for one particular name among thousands of flat markers, things become difficult rapidly.
And remember, we were doing all of these activities on a day when it felt like we were walking across the surface of the sun.
We knew Prescott was located in the North Chapel area, Block B. The problem was determining exactly where Block B began and ended.
Initially, we didn't see an obvious division between Block A and Block B. That resulted in us spending quite a bit of time searching an area that turned out to be the wrong block.
Eventually, we figured out the layout and found the North Chapel Block B sign.
From there, we were finally able to locate Arthur and Geraldine Prescott.
How to Find Arthur J. Prescott's Grave
One reason we wanted to document our search was to make it easier for anyone else interested in visiting Prescott's grave.
He is buried in the North Chapel area of Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Block B.
The chapel is the easiest major landmark to use. Coming into the cemetery from the Glenwood Avenue side, make your way toward the chapel and locate the North Chapel Block B marker.
Once we identified the correct block, we counted approximately six rows back and then several graves over to reach the Prescott marker.
The grave is a flat marker containing the names of Arthur J. Prescott and Geraldine B. Prescott.
Because it sits flush with the ground, it doesn't stand out at first. Unless you know approximately where to look, it would be effortless to walk right past it.
That is precisely why documenting cemetery locations is so important to us. A photograph of a grave is helpful, but showing landmarks and explaining how to reach it can make the difference between someone spending five minutes searching and someone spending an hour wandering through a cemetery.
We have done enough of the latter to know how frustrating that can be.
Finding the Military Insignia
When we returned with the American flag, we took another close look at Prescott's marker.
That's when we noticed something we hadn't immediately picked up on during the first visit.
There were wings on the marker.
It was a subtle indication of Prescott's military service and his connection to aviation. Knowing that he had served as a lieutenant during World War II made the symbol especially meaningful.
We placed the American flag beside his grave.
It was a simple gesture, but it was something we felt strongly about doing.
Arthur J. Prescott served his country, and we wanted that service recognized.
Standing there also reinforced something we frequently experience while visiting cemeteries. A gravestone can only tell a tiny fraction of someone's story.
A person unfamiliar with Prescott could walk past his grave and see two names and dates. They might notice the wings but know nothing about the man buried there.
They wouldn't know that he was an educator.
They wouldn't know that he coached football.
They wouldn't know that he served as a guidance counselor.
They wouldn't know that he became superintendent.
They wouldn't know that he advised students.
They wouldn't know that he helped establish the Newton Falls National Honor Society chapter.
And they certainly might not know that he wrote the words to the Newton Falls alma mater.
That history exists beyond the stone.
A Legacy That Continues in Newton Falls
One of the most fascinating things about researching local history is discovering how people from decades ago continue influencing our communities without most of us realizing it.
Arthur J. Prescott is a perfect example.
Students who participate in the Newton Falls National Honor Society are continuing something Prescott helped establish.
When students and graduates sing the Newton Falls alma mater, they are repeating words Prescott wrote.
The programs he supported and the traditions he helped create became pieces of the district's history.
His influence didn't disappear when he died at only 49 years old.
It continued through the students and educators who followed him.
That's why we wanted to find his grave.
More to Discover at Forest Lawn
Our visit to Forest Lawn Memorial Park isn't going to be our last.
While our primary goal for this particular trip was finding Arthur J. Prescott, there are other people buried at Forest Lawn whose stories we want to research.
We also have family connections to the cemetery, giving us another reason to return.
Near the front of the cemetery is another reminder of the area's military history. The flagpole there is dedicated to Civil War veterans, something we plan to explore further when we return and spend more time researching the cemetery itself.
Rather than trying to squeeze all of Forest Lawn's history into this particular visit, we decided Prescott deserved his own story.
There will be another trip.
We would prefer to go on a day when the temperature doesn't feel like 212 degrees.
Remembering Arthur J. Prescott
Cemeteries are sometimes described simply as places for the dead, but we have never really looked at them that way.
They are historical archives.
Every marker represents a story. Some belong to famous people whose biographies fill books. Others belong to people who were once well known within their communities but whose names gradually disappeared from public memory.
Local history depends on people continuing to tell those stories.
Arthur J. Prescott deserves to have his story remembered.
He was an educator who dedicated much of his life to Newton Falls Schools. He was a teacher, coach, guidance counselor, adviser, administrator, superintendent, and World War II veteran.
He helped establish the Newton Falls National Honor Society chapter that eventually took his name.
And he wrote the words to the Newton Falls alma mater, giving generations of students a connection to him whether they realized it or not.
Our original goal that day was simply to locate his grave as part of our historical bucket list.
Instead, the trip became a reminder of why we do what we do.
We found Arthur J. Prescott.
We documented his final resting place.
And before we left, a small American flag was standing beside his grave.
For someone who spent so much of his life serving his country, his school district, his students, and the Newton Falls community, it seemed like the least we could do.
And with the mission accomplished and both of us rapidly turning a little too red from the summer sun, there was only one sensible thing left to do.
Go home, get out of the heat, and start planning the next cemetery trip.
Happy hunting!
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