About a month ago it was discovered that statue in memory of my sister, Alice, had been stolen from the grounds of the Old Medical College in Augusta. Alice died from a genetic disorder four months before I was born. She was five years old and had been sick for over three years. My parent’s friends got together and raised money and commissioned a Georgia artist, Marshall Daugherty, to create a statue in her memory. It was Daugherty’s last work, as he lost his eyesight shortly after he completed the piece. He told my mother it was his “Ode to Joy”. It was bronze, about three feet high, and sat on a rose marble pillar. Until recently. The loss of the statue was devastating for my parents, another reminder that nothing lasts forever and nothing is sacred. Not even the memory of a child.
But, my awesome to be sister in law, Natalie, was determined to find the statue. She is a prosecutor and worked tirelessly with the Richmond County Sheriff’s office. My parents offered a reward for any information leading to the recovery of the statue. But we were starting to believe that the statue was lost, probably irreparably damaged, most likely melted down for scrap metal.
Then today we got the amazing news that the statue had been recovered! Honestly, I really can’t believe it. Natalie sent me a text message this afternoon that said –
Looky what Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Found!
Apparently a neighbor tipped off the police for the reward money. I’m so relieved, I can’t even tell you! Apparently my dad went straight there and put it in his car. Haha. Hooray!
I’m so glad they found Alice’s statue. I did not know the artist went blind after creating it–just adds even more meaning to his beautiful work! I am glad it is back where it belongs. Are your parents going to keep it at their home now? Who took it? other than an obviously terrible person.
To awesome for words.