On Tuesday, family and friends dedicated a memorial on the Jewish Community Campus honoring the lives of Dr. William Lewis Corporon, Reat Griffin Underwood and Terri LaManno. Dr. Corporon and his grandson Reat were killed in the parking lot of the Jewish Community Campus where Reat was to audition for the Jewish Community Center’s KC SuperStar singing competition. Terri LaManno was killed in the parking lot of Village Shalom, where her mother lived.
The three murders took place on April 13, 2014.
The memorial dedication coincides with SevenDays 2016: Make a Ripple, Change the World, a weeklong series of activities, events and programs created after the shootings to encourage acts of kindness and interfaith dialogue.
While the murders took place in Jewish settings and Jews were targeted, none of the three victims was Jewish. Following the deaths, the Jewish Community Center (The J) and Village Shalom received an outpouring of support from people of all faiths. After lengthy consideration, staff and lay leaders determined to pool financial contributions in order to create the memorial at the Jewish Community Campus.
“The memorial was selected by a task force including families of the victims, staff and lay people from The J and highly respected representatives of the local art community,” said Jill Maidhof, director of Jewish Life & Learning, who served on the task force. “Taking inspiration from the values personified by Dr. Corporon, Reat and Mrs. LaManno, sculptor Jesse Small crafted a work in stainless steel that evokes sunlit ripples of water spreading love and kindness.” In doing so, he has created a sacred space at the Campus where visitors from all backgrounds will receive a message of love, optimism and the ability of individuals working together to create positive change in our world.”
Such was Small’s intention. “By focusing on the type of ripples we put out as individuals, we can begin to sculpt the world around us,” the sculptor said.
Currently residing on the west coast, Small is well known and respected in greater Kansas City. He completed his MFA at the Kansas City Art Institute, maintained a studio in the early years of the Crossroads and has been awarded several solo exhibitions in the area.
Small’s local 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.
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. Contributions may be made online at thejkc.org by clicking 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.