It has been almost two years since a senseless hate crime took the lives of Dr. William Lewis Corporon, his grandson Reat Griffin Underwood, and Teresa LaManno. On April 13, 2014, Dr. Corporon and Reat were killed in the parking lot of the Jewish Community Campus where Reat was to audition for a singing competition; LaManno was killed in the parking lot of Village Shalom where her mother lived.
Ironically, these shootings within the “Jewish” community hit victims who were not Jewish themselves. These tragedies were followed by an overwhelming show of unity and support for the families, including a memorial service four days later attended by more than 1,000 people of all faiths and ethnicities. There was a tremendous sense of loss felt throughout the community.
At the same time, the Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom received financial contributions in memory of the shooting victims. After lengthy consideration, staff and lay leaders decided to pool resources in order to create a public memorial on the site of the Jewish Community Campus. Now that idea is coming to fruition. The sculpture will be located on the west side of the Campus, adjacent to the entrance to the White Theatre.
A private dedication ceremony will take place in mid-April after which the memorial will be open for public viewing.
A task force was formed to explore the idea. The task force was comprised of leaders from both organizations and the Jewish Community Campus, prominent members of the local art community, Mindy Corporon, daughter of Dr. Corporon and mother of Reat Griffin Underwood; Melinda Corporon, wife of Dr. Corporon, and Dr. Jim LaManno, husband of Terri LaManno. Over a period of months, they followed a highly structured process in order to select a fitting memorial to be placed at the Jewish Community Campus.
“We were inspired by the desire of the Corporon and LaManno families to promote lovingkindness as a stronger force than hatred,” said Sandra Berman, the Memorial Task Force chair, in describing the motivation behind the group’s final decision. “At the same time we looked for a design that would reflect their charge to ‘make a ripple and change the world.’ ”
In late fall, the group selected a design by sculptor Jesse Small. Currently residing on the West Coast, Small is familiar to and highly respected in the local art community. He completed his MFA at the Kansas City Art Institute, maintained a studio in the early years of the Crossroads and has had several solo exhibitions in the area. Local public installations can be seen at Arrowhead Stadium, the Olathe Community Center and just blocks from the Jewish Community Campus at the entrance to I-Lan Park.
In Small, the group found an artist who was “rocked to the core” by the tragic events, and shared their passion to send a powerful positive message. “When people look at my sculpture, I want them to experience it as a memorial that is dynamic, a beacon for change that is ongoing and positive…[promoting] kindness and love over all else,” Small said.
“Like a beacon, [the sculpture] is simply an object with no energy in itself. …Yet it creates a new channel for the community to express compassion, to remember loved ones and to feel new hopes,” Small said. “All of this will emanate from the Jewish Community Campus where the tragedies occurred, where the healing can be publicly shared and experienced by all.”
The task force’s decision to select Smith’s design was “unanimous and enthusiastic,” according to Berman.
“We believe that Jesse’s piece, located in a publicly accessible outdoor space, will bring a sense of closure to the families of the victims and to our community,” Berman said. “It will create a sacred space on the Jewish Community Campus where people of all ages, faiths and ethnicities will receive a message of love, optimism and the ability of individuals working together to create positive change in our world. Teachers, clergy and youth group leaders will use it for positive inspiration and we envision educational programs, friendship circles and faith-based programming.”
Donations are being accepted to help underwrite the construction of the memorial, endow its permanent maintenance and create funds to sponsor education and programming to fulfill the mission of creating a ripple for love, kindness and understanding. Donations may be made online at thejkc.org and by clicking on the “Support Us” tab; or by mailing a check. Make checks payable to: The Jewish Community Center, Att: Memorial Art Fund, and mail to The J, 5801 West 115th Street, Overland Park, KS 66211.