Seedling marks LR resiliency

MEMORIAL TREE PLANTING

Not long after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a severely damaged Callery pear tree was discovered at Ground Zero in New York City. The tree, which became known as the Survivor Tree, was removed from the rubble and cared for by the New York City Department of Parks.

It thrived, and in 2010 was placed at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza. Since 2013, the 9/11 Memorial has donated seedlings from the tree to communities that have suffered tragedies. This year, Little Rock is among the recipients of a seedling in recognition of its resilience after the March 31, 2023, tornado that left dozens injured and more than 2,640 structures damaged.

The seedling will be planted during a 9 a.m. ceremony on Saturday in the Walnut Valley neighborhood park, nearly a year to the day since the tornado ripped through the area.

“The Survivor Tree symbolizes resiliency, and we are honored to accept [the seedling],” said Aaron Sadler, spokesman for Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. In addition to placing the tree in its new home, Saturday’s ceremony will be a commemoration of the anniversary of the tornado, he added.

Nicholas Norfolk is a member of the Walnut Valley Homeowner’s Association.

“Planting it in the park is perfect,” he said. “It’s like the nexus point for our neighborhood … it’s where a lot of people in our community gather. A lot of trees got knocked down in the park and this is a good sign that shows we are rebuilding, that there is resilience and hope. It’s an honor.”

Residents will help care for the tree, he added.

“We have people who are on top of that. We are ready.”

Also receiving seedlings this year are Uvalde Memorial Hospital in Uvalde, Texas, for the role workers there played in response to the May 22, 2022, school shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead; and Waukesha, Wis., where an SUV intentionally plowed into a crowd on Nov. 21, 2022, leaving six people dead and 62 injured.

AWARD-WINNING WRITER

Little Rock author Alice Driver is a winner of the $25,000 Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award for her book about workers at Tyson Foods, “The Life and Death of the American Worker: The Immigrants Taking on America’s Largest Meatpacking Company.”

She was doing laundry when she learned she’d won.

“I just started crying,” she said.

The money will help pay book-related expenses like translating, promotion and photography, she said. The book will be published in September by One Signal, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Driver said she plans to travel to New York City with her parents to accept the award on May 7.