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A new memorial to slain city police Officer Frank Miller will be dedicated during tomorrow's Veteran's Day observances.

The monument to the rookie patrolman killed 15 years ago today is located at Memorial Park, Downtown, which was recently refurbished and re-lighted by city public works crews.

Ceremonies begin at 10:40 a.m. The park is located on Lysle Boulevard at Market Street.

Miller, a Murrysville native and a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, was attempting to arrest Andre Harper, then 39, near the corner of Fifth Avenue and Tube Works Alley on the afternoon of Nov. 10, 1993. Police had received complaints that Harper, a vagrant, was harassing passersby.

As Miller tried to take Harper into custody, the two men struggled. According to prosecutors, Harper took Miller's .357 service pistol and fired three times, striking the officer twice.

Harper was convicted of first-degree murder in 1996, but the results of that trial were thrown out after the state Supreme Court ruled that jurors should have been told that Harper had a history of schizophrenia. A second trial in 2002 reaffirmed the first verdict.

A monument to Miller was dedicated shortly after his death, but was defaced by vandals, city officials said. The new monument was donated by Chris Odasso of Willig Funeral Home, Ninth Avenue.

Also tomorrow, city officials will read a proclamation in honor of George Rose, former commander of American Legion Burt Foster Post 361, who died recently at 94. Rose was one of the driving forces behind local Veteran's Day and Memorial Day remembrances, officials said.

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In Other Business: A high-profile "very important person" has been asked to serve as grand marshal of the city's "Salute to Santa" Christmas parade.

City Administrator Dennis Pittman confirmed that an invitation has been extended to a well-known Pennsylvanian, but officials have not yet confirmed his attendance.

A confirmation is expected later this week; the VIP's participation would amount to a major coup for the city and a vote of confidence in efforts to revive its flagging Downtown.

An announcement made at last Wednesday's council meeting was premature, Pittman and other city officials said.

Already slated to participate is WTAE-TV (4) morning news anchor Kelly Frey.

The parade is slated to begin at 11 a.m. Nov. 22. and is among the largest holiday parades in Western Pennsylvania. It typically attracts drill teams, marching bands and emergency vehicles from throughout the region.

Bands and drill teams are judged and prizes are awarded.

Traditionally sponsored by the Downtown McKeesport Association to mark the start of the Christmas shopping season, the "shopping" aspect of the parade has declined along with the demise of most of the retail stores on Fifth Avenue.

This year, the parade is being organized by the city's Parks and Recreation Department. Mayor Jim Brewster said that although DMA had done a good job in keeping the parade alive, the organization "no longer has the horsepower" among its remaining members to handle the task.