15-foot sculpture may honor Parkland victims
A plan is taking shape to create a memorial sculpture for the 17 who died in the Parkland school shooting.
Zachary Knudson, a sculptor who has done several public works of art and memorials, has teamed up with other volunteers to donate their time and resources in planning the tribute.
The sculpture, which would rise 15 feet, would be made of metal and impact glass with a colored laminate. It’ll cast colored shadows around its base during the day and shine bright at night, highlighting the victims’ names.
It’s a “remembrance so that they’re not forgotten,” said Knudson, 31, of Coral Springs. It “has a lot of light and hope in the design.”
Knudson, who graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in 2005, was a neighbor of Aaron Feis, the coach who died shielding students from gunfire in the Feb. 14 massacre. Like many in the community, Knudson was heartbroken by the shooting and wanted to help, he said. Rather than sleep that night after the shooting — he couldn’t sleep — he began designing the sculpture.
The sculpture is still in the design phase, and it’s too early to say where it would go. Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky says she would like for it to be at Stoneman Douglas. “I know they want a memorial at the school,” she said.
Others also are stepping forinvolved
to make the sculpture a reality.
Kevin Roth, a father of four who lives in Parkland, is the CEO of the Vistaglass Direct, a glass fabrication company. He is donating glass for the project.
Roth’s family is friends with the family of one of the shooting victims, 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, he said.
Before deciding to proceed with the sculpture, Roth reached out to Alyssa’s mother, Lori Alhadeff, as well as Alyssa’s grandmother, seeking their thoughts, he said.
They approved of the idea, he said.
Roth said it’s vital that the victims’ families have a say on the sculpture.
“What they want is foremost,” Roth said. “It’s very important that they approve it.”
Roth, 47, himself went through a scare on the day of the shooting: One of his sons is a junior at Stoneman Douglas, and he couldn’t immediately reach him, he said.
His son was OK, and he did hear from him about 14 minutes later. They were “probably the worst 14 minutes of my life,” he recalled.
Also helping with the sculpture is Jeff Oster, the president of Pompano Beach-based Mirart, which does acrylic fabrication work.
Oster’s two sons graduated from Stoneman Douglas. Oster’s father, an engineer, put Knudson’s design into a program so that it can be seen in 3-D. They used a laser to cut the parts that were used to build a mockup.
And they’re already discussing how to best incorward porate LED lights into the sculpture.
“We want to do something else — to make sure the names really stand out,” he said.
Lance Faridani, 42, a metal fabricator in Hollywood, also is working with Knudson. For everyone involved, it’s their way of doing what they can to help, he said.
“We’re just some artists coming together and looking to donate this to the community,” he said. “Whoever gets something out of this is who it’s donated to.”
Knudson said the community will be involved in the design process and how the names are portrayed.
Staff writer Lisa J. Huriash contributed to this report.
jcortega@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6527 or Twitter @JuanSunSentinel