|
The Laurel Star
(Weekly News Paper)
 |
David and
Gail Watson show off two of the three prints they
will give away on Sept. 11. The Watson's are
owners of Watson’s Wildlife Art Gallery,
Laurel,(watsonswildlife.com & wildprint.com)
and want to encourage respect for police
officers, firefighters and paramedics.
Photo by Lynn R. Parks
See More
Below...
|
 |
| |
On
Sept. 11, owners of print gallery will
honor firefighters
By
Lynn R. Parks
Gail Watson does not want to think about
a world without policemen, firefighters
and paramedics. “Just look around
and see all the good they do,” she
said. “What would this world be like
without them? It would be terrible.”
But she and her husband, David, are
concerned that many people, in particular
teenagers, have no respect for the very
people they feel make our society safe.
They have devised a plan which they hope
will help generate that respect. The
Watsons, owners of Watson’s Wildlife
Art Gallery, Laurel, are going to give
away three framed prints, one honoring
firefighters, another honoring members of
police departments and the third honored
paramedics, to area police and fire
departments. The ceremony at which the
prints will be presented to
representatives of the departments will
be held in Laurel’s downtown park at
10 a.m. on Sept. 11, one year after the
attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon. “We are trying to promote
respect, especially among youth, for
policemen, firemen and paramedics,”
David Watson said. “A lot of people
think about Sept. 11, but they don’t
realize that a building in Laurel could
be hit by a plane, and our policemen
would be there. They are going to
respond, no matter what the problem
is.”
|
|
|
The
framed prints, valued about $250 each,
are by artist Ron DiCianni. Each includes
a backdrop that hints at heavenly help:
The paramedic stands in front of the good
Samaritan, the policemen stands in front
of a medieval Crusader and the fireman
has angel wings. When David Watson frames
them, he will include prayers provided by
Somerset House Publishers, which produces
the prints. Details regarding the
ceremony at which the prints will be
presented are still being worked out.
Watson addressed the Laurel Town Council
at Monday night’s meeting. Town
manager Bill Kelso called the
Watson's’ plan a “great
idea.” “I give them all the
credit for coming up with this,” he
added. “These ideas are coming from
the heart and that’s what will make
it succeed.” Watson is also working
with the Laurel Chamber of Commerce and
the Rev. Fred Duncan of Christ United
Methodist Church, head of the Laurel
Ministerium. Both Gail and David Watson
want school children to be involved in
the ceremony. They are hoping that
students from Laurel Elementary School to
attend. They would also like to see poems
written by school children of all ages
read during the ceremony. David Watson
said that everyone he has talked to
regarding his plans has responded with
excitement. “I knew that I wanted to
do something, but I didn’t know how
to go about it, or who could help,”
he said. “But everyone I have talked
to has been excited about what we want to
do. We are seeing a lot of spirit for
this thing.”
News tips wanted
Call us with ideas for news and features.
We're always looking for good stories to
share with readers. Call Bryant
Richardson at 629-9788 or e-mail your
ideas to publisher@laurelstar.com |
|
Laurel
Star Covers the event On Sept 11th
Firemen, policemen and
paramedics from Laurel show off the prints they were
given on Sept. 11 by David and Gail Watson. From left:
Gail Watson, David Watson, Patrolman John Devlin,
Patrolman Kevin Hovatter, Lt. Ricky Richardson, Det.
Jamie Wilson, firemen Dwayne Groton, J.T. Culver, chief
Jeff Hill, (partially hidden) Tim Walker, Mark Sheridan,
Todd Smith and Jay Hill.
Ann “Chicken” Spicer had a simple reason for
attending the ceremony in the Laurel Park commemorating
the first anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon. “I guess we are here
because we are Americans,” said Spicer, Laurel, who
attended the ceremony with her husband, Richard. “And
because we feel sorry for the people who lost their
lives.” “We are also practicing our patriotism,”
added Richard Spicer, who is retired from the Delaware
National Guard. The Spicers, both dressed in red, white
and blue, joined about 200 people in observing the
ceremony, which got under way at 10 a.m. under bright
blue skies. The flags in the park whipped in a brisk
breeze as the Rev. Fred Duncan, minister at Christ United
Methodist Church and master of ceremonies, remembered the
events of Sept. 11, 2001. “At the end of the day,
President Bush spoke,” Duncan said. “As part of
his speech, he recited the 23rd Psalm, which includes the
words, ‘I will fear no evil.’ “ Laurel
mayor Garret Pusey told the crowd that it is important to
learn from the past, but to move beyond it. “To
dwell on the past is to lose the future,” he said.
He also said that the United States is grounded in people
and in beliefs, not in buildings and other material
objects. “The terrorists thought they could destroy
us by destroying our buildings,” he said. Town
manager Bill Kelso said that while the terrorists
intended to tear the country apart, they instead united
it. “As a result of their action, we have come
together as a nation,” he said. “I am happy to
be here today, the see the unity in this community.”
Kelso also talked about the members of the Laurel Police
Department, the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department and the
fire department’s emergency service technicians,
representatives of which sat in the bandstand behind the
speaker. “They demonstrate service and concern
beyond our comprehension,” he said. David and Gail
Watson, owners of Watson’s Wildlife Art Gallery and
Framing and originators of the idea for the community
ceremony, presented framed prints to each of the three
departments. “I could tell that all those guys could
feel the love from the community,” David Watson said
at the conclusion of the ceremony. “That was very
important to me.” “The prints are beautiful,”
said fire chief Jeff Hill, who accepted the prints for
the fire department as well as for the emergency medical
technicians. “We will put them both in the [fire
department] meeting room, so that we can always remember
what they were given in memory of.” Hill said that
emergency workers have had a difficult year since Sept.
11, 2001. “It has been a very emotional year, with a
lot of ups and downs,” he said. State Sen. Bob
Venables was among the people who attended Wednesday’s
ceremony. He said that while such ceremonies are
appropriate so that communities “remember the people
who died,” they don’t really contribute to
understanding the attacks. “I have strived all my
life to understand why people kill other people,” he
said. “And why there is so much hatred in other
parts of the world for us. I don’t think I will ever
understand.”
|
