OFFICIAL DEDICATION TORNADO MEMORIAL

DECEMBER 03, 2006
Newbern Historic Depot
Sunday  2:00 p.m.

OPENING POEM OF DEDICATION

Rev. George Butler  …….
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Newbern Tennessee

Newbern VICE  MAYOR  Larry Fesmire  …….

April 02, 2006 Eight Months and One Day has passed since the lives of the People in the Community of Newbern Changed forever.

It is my Honor as Vice Mayor to welcome the families…. today December 03, 2006 to the dedication of this memorial.

The Memorial is being given as a tribute from the Citizens of Newbern & Dyer County to you the Friends and Family.

The City of Newbern is proud …that this spot, has been chosen as the place we can honor these individuals with a lasting memorial.  This small piece of Granite cannot begin to validate the value of their existence within Newbern and the Dyer County community.

With us today, are the many individuals who came to our rescue.  These people woke up that day just ordinary people.

Unknowing, before the days end, many found themselves unintentional HEROES.  The sacrifices and care you gave are not forgotten by the families represented here today.   And for that effort we commend you all… and Thank You… for what you did and what many of you do every day, giving of you time, money, and spirit to protect and rescue us all ...in so many ways.  Again I welcome you…..

Though this tragic day will remain in our thoughts, we must remember how great each and every person listed, effected the lives of so many others. 

Although they are no longer with us physically……They live on in Spirit, in our hearts and thoughts.  Look how they are still effecting our lives.

Today… all these people you see around you …. are here…. because of the lives listed on this memorial. Each person is still effecting our every day existence.  On April 02, 2006 they brought together a community and made the community stronger, greater, and more concerned about our friends and neighbors that ever before…

We as Citizens of Dyer County became more than just a group of Citizens living in Rural West Tennessee that day….We all became family……

Newbern Historical and Preservation Society Chairman Olen Parker 

It was the most beautiful Spring Day.  In my memory it was the most perfect day.  A Sunday where the Sun shined with a warmth that would lighten the heaviest of souls.  A day where the trees seemed to hold the brightest of color and the fragrances of the newly emerged blooms lingered eternally in the air.

It was a day where families had joined together for Sunday Lunch and where we had all walked hand in hand into Church.  For some reason this day ….. in my mind’s eye Is as clear as a Spring Rain.   I remember sitting on the porch that afternoon, thinking this was a day like no other I had ever remembered. 

Some days you remember so vividly.  Some days are days of joy and peace.  Some days you reminisce of things past.  Some days you hold close to your heart.  Some days are days of Laughter and Smiles.  This day ended ……as a day of Tears.

Newbern Historical and Preservation Society President Angela Taylor

We cannot second guess why these individuals …..were chosen above all others …….to be taken from us on that tragic day… These questions reach far beyond our mortal understanding. 

We all speak of Love,… Heaven .… God …..  and Faith.  We cast blame …… We Grieve  ….. We Suffer  ….. and  We have to Live On.

This Memorial bloomed from our Board Member, Karen Greek who suggested we celebrate all the HEROES who came to our aide during this time, as the theme of the Depot Days Festival in September 2006.  Her hopes were that we could do something to show our concern and care for these individuals.   As time passed…. That simple idea grew into this Memorial.  

The Newbern Historical and Preservation Society wishes to thank everyone who donated money, time, and effort for its creation and placement.  This Memorial will assure the community that we will always remember  April 02, 2006

It assures these individuals who called Newbern and Dyer County Home will hold a place of residence here for as long as this Memorial Survives.

Newbern Historical and Preservation Society Chairman Olen Parker

The Memorial is over a ton of granite and concrete indicating the stability of this community.   The face is bounded by a continuous line that indicates our eternal concern for our citizens.  It is anchored by four dogwood blooms indicating community acceptance from the four corners of the earth.  It is arranged in an East – West direction.  The right side referencing the rising Sun for Birth and the left side the Setting Sun as our final days.  The Memorial is Grey in Color always indicating the sadness of our loss.

But the face is polished to reflect the love we have for each friend and relative, child, mother and father, brother and sister, daughter and son, grandmother and grandfather.   The memorial is engraved with the following charge So we will always know….For as long as the Train Passes… Let the whistle sound.. The Remembrance of Those we Love and Miss…..

Newbern Historical and Preservation Society President Angela Taylor

 To the East of this building are 16 dogwood trees which have been placed for each of these souls.  They are planted equally spaced to indicate how every person Was equally important to the this community.   Yet …. there is a space left open in the center Indicating the emptiness which will always be present.

DYER COUNTY  CHAPLAIN Bill Miller  …….

As Chaplain of the Emergency Medical Service the great sacrifices that were given by the Fire Departments, Rescue Squads, Ambulance Services, Police and Sheriff Departments, Electric, Gas, and Water Departments and so many others groups who responded, placing their lives at risk to assist their neighbors must be blessed and officially thanked for their efforts.

Prayer - Statement of Consecration……
Chaplain Consecrated Site as Holy Ground

Newbern Historical and Preservation Society Chairman Olen Parker

We can never understand what is beyond our acceptance.  What would have become of their lives.  Our Life with them was cut short.   Did they achieve their goals on this earth ?     Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in one of his poems…

To laugh often and love much;
to win the respect of intelligent persons and
the affection of children;
to earn the respect of honest citizens and
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to give of one’s self;  
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or
a redeemed social condition;
to have played and laughed with enthusiasm
and sung with exultation;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived  -   this is to have succeeded.

This Memorial is in Honor of their Success .. Because of them …. we have all been Blessed

UNVEILING OF THE MEMORIAL

Location

108 Jefferson Street Newbern, TN  38059

Excerpt from - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_2,_2006_Tornado_Outbreak

When the tornado continued eastward into Missouri, damage increased significantly. The worst of it occurred after the tornado reached the vicinity of Caruthersville in Pemiscot County at around 7:00 p.m. CDT (0000 UTC). Considerable destruction was reported in the community, with 226 homes destroyed and 542 houses damaged. The water tower in Caruthersville was destroyed, cutting water service in the area after the tornado.^[12] Heavy damage was also reported in Dunklin County. At least two deaths and 130 injuries were reported in the area. The tornado dissipated as it approached the Mississippi River.

More destruction took place after the supercell crossed the Mississippi River into Tennessee, where a new tornado touched down in Dyer County and crossed into western Gibson County between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. CDT (0030-0100 UTC). The tornado touched down in the Newbern area. Damage was reported to have been very severe across the area, with 72 homes completely destroyed and another 182 homes damaged in the Newbern area. Electricity was also cut to much of the area. That section of the tornado there was also deadly, as at least 16 deaths were reported in the Newbern area, many of which were near and around  the Sara Lee Foods plant location in Newbern. 70 other people were injured as a result of the tornado.^[13] It was the deadliest single tornado in the US since the Evansville tornado on November 6, 2005.

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