In memory of Andrea

In November of 1993, a little 5 year old girl came up missing in my hometown, and was never found. This case, and the Smith case in South Carolina are what changed the child abduction/abuse investigation practices by law enforcement forever. The little girl was never found, but her father and stepmother claimed to have scalded her in a bathtub - then threw her body from a local bridge. I remember it like it was yesterday, and it saddens me to think someone could do that to a child...
Anyway, back in August, my local extension agent told me she had a landscaping project for me, and of course I was eager to volunteer my time and efforts for a good cause. So, I drove by the Franklin County Detention Center to make up a plan for it.

I took these 3 pictures for reference purposes, and measured the area to work with. That's my red truck off to the side, and also my notebook laying on the curb. This information was needed so an autocad drawing could be made, and I quickly got to work on it. This was gonna have to be well planned, and all of the existing soil would have to be removed to a depth of 4". Yeah...lots of work here! Thankfully, some of the inmates were eager to provide most of the labor on it, and that was a lifesaver! Whew.....

Since October was National Domestic Violence Awareness month, we finished it just in time for the dedication ceremony scheduled on the 29th. Whew....talk about close!

Photo below - Stones with inscriptions about abuse were installed at 2 of the corners, and mums were planted on both sides to direct a person's eye to them. That's a gardenia in the back, and pansies, dwarf yaupon holly shrubs to the sides. Over 400 pavers were installed for the walking surface - which came in 3 different sizes. Man, talk about a jigsaw puzzle!

Yesterday, it was finally time for the dedication ceremony, and you can bet that EG was there.

Photo below - there's Sheriff Larry Plott making the opening statement of the ceremony - in which he went into detail about how he and his team investigated this horrible crime. He has been our sheriff for at least 25 years.

Photo below - a flock of geese flying over added an extra touch to the beautiful ceremony.

Photo below - after a wreath was laid on top of the headstone, each member in attendance released a balloon into the air. It was a beautiful ceremony, and one i'll never forget.

Although her body was never found, the memory of her will live for many years to come.

It was truly an honor to work on this project, and I hope that it serves the community even after I'm long gone from this earth. Andrea deserved only the best, and that's what I gave to her - EG's best....

Take care

EG