Even with less than perceptive students, the new memorial set next to the pond on the campus commons is hard to miss. With in an inscription reading, “Fisher Memorial Garden In memory of Students, Faculty, & Staff,” I had to wonder…Who exactly are we remembering here?
I contacted Mariae Rice-Evans with University Advancement who was able to speak to the planning of the project. “Since 1947 there has never been a place on campus for people to pray silently or hold a ceremony to honor the memory of those connected to UNCW who have passed during their time here,” Rice-Evans said. “There has always been a desire by both students and staff to have some sort of site to memorialize these people,” she added.
“Mariae and Rosemary [DePaolo] approached me about the creation of a memorial” said frequent UNCW benefactor Herbert Fisher, “They wanted to put it in a room in the Fisher Student Center, but I told them no one would know where it was. You need to put it on the ground where people will see it passing by, exposed as people go to and from classes and everything.”
While the memorial is officially dedicated to Mr. Herbert Fishers sister, Emily Fisher Hunter, eventually it will be engraved with the names of students, faculty, and staff who are lost while working at or attending UNCW. “The brickwork is not set in concrete yet. Someone can go in with a proper tool and lift a brick out, then take the brick to be engraved. The name and lifespan of the deceased will be cut into the brick and placed back into the memorial for everyone to remember them,” said Fisher.
There are also plans to decorate the 6,000 pound granite monument, which currently stands alone. Lighting has been added for the community to enjoy the memorial at night, and now that the weather is improving, vegetation is on the way. “We have just presented the Vice Chancellor of Facilities with a plan for flowers and plants,” said Robert Warren of the UNCW Physical Plant. The plan will remain consistent with the current theme of the commons area, keeping the vegetation native to UNCW with North Carolina palms, perennials for seasonal color, and service berries. “There are also plans to create a cascade of evergreen grass that will go from the back of the monument to the water that will give it a cascading look from the amphitheater,” said Warren.
So there you have it, we’re not remembering everyone at UNCW, just those who have passed, and soon, with the engraving of the memorial bricks, that will become more clear.
