 |
 |
Boy Scout designs memorial to Ky. crash victims
Sunday, August 24, 2008 7:08 PM EDT
So when interest grew for a memorial to the victims of the Comair Flight 5191 crash, 16-year-old Brian Huybers concluded it would be a perfect Eagle Scout project for him.
He says he decided on a granite fountain with 49 engravings of doves, one for each person who died in the Aug. 27, 2006, crash. It will be located at Richmond's Lake Reba Recreational Complex and was expected to be dedicated Sunday evening.
The memorial turned out better than Huybers had envisioned, the Madison Central High School senior said.
"I didn't kno it was going to get this big," he told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Huybers says the idea was planted by Whitney Dunlap, assistant scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 401. She told Huybers that Richmond Mayor Connie Lawson wanted a local memorial for the six Madison County residents who died in the crash.
They were: Carole Bizzack, Brian Byrd, Lynda McKee, Cecile Moscoe, Victoria Washington and Judy Rains. Of the 50 people on board, only co-pilot James Polehinke survived.
Huybers spent nearly a year developing a concept, fundraising and working with Russell Sitter, who helped create "The Water Wall" at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza in Lexington. Sitter provided Huybers with technical assistance and the design work.
The design evolved into one circle with a fountain in the middle, flanked by benches. With a walkway leading to the fountain and benches, the memorial looks like a Celtic cross. Around the base of the fountain will be seven granite plaques. Six of them will be inscribed with the name and age of each person who died. A seventh plaque will tell the story of Flight 5191.
Each family is being given the opportunity to have an inscription of its choosing added to the plaque.
The project cost about $27,000. Huybers raised $6,200 in cash and in-kind donations, and the city of Richmond covered the rest.
Besides Huybers' work, the Flight 5191 Memorial Commission has been working on a memorial in Lexington for about a year. The commission has not selected a location nor a design.
Susie Massingill, sister of crash victim Judy Rains, says Huybers' memorial means more to her than one being planned for Lexington. "It's not something expected of him. He's done it solely out of the kindness of his heart."
Copyright © 2009 Maysville Newspapers, Inc., A Lee Enterprises Publication This site is protected by applicable copyright laws and no part may be reproduced, transmitted or used in any way other than its intended purpose without the prior written permission of The Ledger Independent. Click here to view The Ledger Independent's privacy policy. Click here to view current print advertisements. |