UCC remembers Oct. 1, 2015 with new memorial

UCC remembers Oct. 1, 2015 with new memorial

UCC’s Oct. 1, 2015 memorial site is nearly completed with the installation of memorial globes, a platform, stones, benches, a border and a couple of walkways. The memorial is located on the UCC campus, behind Jackson Hall overlooking the North Umpqua river. 

After 5 years of planning, UCC staff, a Memorial Committee, welding students, family members of 10/1 victims, community members, the Board of Education, and others have finally come to the concluding steps of finishing the memorial. 

Due to the Covid-19 restrictions and the dangerous air quality from the wildfires, UCC had to put a halt on the finishing touches of the memorial. With the air starting to clear up and some regulations starting to lift, the memorial is continuing to advance into the final stages. 

Nine welded globes are featured to recognize the eight students and one faculty member who lost their lives in the UCC school shooting on Oct. 1, 2015, as well as the others who were affected. 

With the help of many community members, just under $100,000 was donated to the UCC Fundraiser for the memorial.

In addition, Tom Pappas, of Victory Builders, donated his labor and time to collaborate with Jess Miller in designing and producing the memorial site. His son Paul Pappas also worked on the site. 

On Nov. 21, 2019 Owen Cherry wrote an article for The Mainstream about the beginning process of building the memorial, he said that on Dec. 12, 2018 the UCC Board of Education approved of the memorial and along with the approval they donated a sketch of what the memorial might look like.  

Cherry also mentioned that the UCC President Debra Thatcherthe said the money was used to dig up trees, plant new trees, leveling the cliff off, build the landing and its borders, running wires for electricity, and create ADA parking.

The memorial design including the nine welded globes is in a secluded overlook.  “Jess Miller sketched out what he thought would be great, but Victory Builders just elevated and totally went beyond what Jess would even have thought,” said Tiffany Coleman, chief advancement officer and executive director of the UCC Foundation.

UCC’s welding students helped with some of the metal globes for the memorial that consist of hearts cut out from the Oregon state heart signs that were popular after the school shooting. “The UCC welding program welded them together and made the globes,” Coleman said.  

To honor all of the lives lost and affected by the school shooting on Oct, 1, 2015 the formal name for the memorial is 10/1 Memorial.

With the location of the 10/1 Memorial site being directly over the river, viewers are able to hear the journeying water while looking amongst the magnificent trees and valley.

UCC will announce when the memorial is completed and will host an event when pandemic regulations are lifted and the campus is open to the public. Before any regulations are lifted though, the site will not be open for public viewing.

For more information visit the We Remember page by UCC’s website has links to pictures of each year since 2015.

Contact me at:
UCCMainstream@yahoo.com

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