Members of a committee being formed to create a monument for tornado survivors and victims in Limestone County are seeking community input.
The committee, begun by Kelly Kazek, will meet Thursday to discuss what form the memorial will take, where it should be located and how to raise funds.
“My wish is that it honor the volunteers, first responders and survivors and memorialize the dead in the 1974 tornado outbreak, when 16 died, and 2011 tornadoes, when four died,” Kazek said. “It is also my dream that this monument be a work of art and not just a block of granite.”
She hopes to be able to break ground on the one-year anniversary of the April 27, 2011, tornado outbreak, but completing and erecting a monument will take several months after that.
The monument will likely be some sort of statue and reflect the caring attitude of the community in the wake of the storms, Kazek said.
“I have spoken with several artists, including Alissa Rose-Clark, Karen Middleton and Gail Bergeron, and we are discussing options,” Kazek said. “We would love input from the community and anyone who wishes to send an email or attend a meeting is welcome.”
Kazek said several community members have been contacted to serve on the committee, including Rep. Dan Williams, R-Athens, and she hopes to find representatives from Tanner and East Limestone, the hardest hit communities, to give their input.
While the April 3, 1974, and April 27, 2011, tornado outbreaks were the deadliest in county history, as many as 11 others have died here in tornadoes since the turn of the century. Kazek said she and Archivist Rebekah Davis are researching the names of those who died to include on the memorial.
Anyone who wishes to attend the initial organizational meeting should come to the Center for Lifelong Learning in downtown Athens at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Contact Kelly Kazek, who is managing editor of The News Courier, at kazekfamily@knology.net or kelly@athensnews-courier.com.
Residents of Fort Payne, which was hit by a separate EF5 on April 27, broke ground last week on a memorial there. Organizers hope the monument can be completed by the year anniversary of the storms.
Many other Alabama communities have tornado memorials. In Guin, which was hit by an F5 in 1974 — the second F5 that day struck Tanner and East Limestone — a marker bears the names of those who died there.
In south Huntsville, a restful spot at the corner of Whitesburg and Airport drives is a reminder of the 21 people who died in the November 1989 tornado.
In Piedmont, 22 people were killed — most inside Goshen United Methodist Church — on Palm Sunday 1994. Near the church, a stonewall with a cross cutout stands in memory of those who died.
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This memorial was built at Goshen United Methodist Church in Piedmont following the deadly 1994 Palm Sunday tornado. A committee has been formed to create a monument to victims and survivors of tornadoes in Limestone County. Courtesy of Goshen Church
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Committee formed to build tornado monument
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