 | After the untimely deaths of Shore alumni Peter Bildner, ‘00 and Taryn King, ’00, several of their former Shore classmates wanted to find a way to remember and honor them. The group decided that a garden on campus would offer the entire Shore community, past and present, a place to visit and remember Peter and Taryn. When this group learned that other alumni (Thomas Monro, ’70, Claire Saltonstall, ’73, Bradford Smith, ’80, Philip Maistrellis, ’85, Sarah Devens, ’89, Alison Hamilton, ’90) had also lost their lives at a young age, they felt that these young alumni should also be remembered in the garden.
Joan Mullen, mother of Julianna, ’00, suggested Julie Moir Messervy of the Julie Moir Messervy Design Studio as someone who might help with a garden design. Julie believes that “gardens and parks can be soul-nurturing places, oases deeply rooted in outdoor archetypes, childhood imagination and aesthetic impulses”, and she seemed a perfect fit for the task. After visiting Shore and the proposed garden site between the Dining Hall and the Bird Cage, Julie was so moved by the idea of creating this garden that she agreed to create a design for a nominal fee. She subsequently met with several Upper and Lower school students to gather input for a garden design should plans move forward.
At this point, the garden was still only a dream, but when Kelly Sheehan, ’00, began interning that year at Shore, and was instrumental in forming a committee that included Larry and Cathy Griffin, Marge Cregg, Joan Mullen, Christy Sheehan, Betty Raymond, Cathy Ebling, Norma Cohen, and Joanne Harder to help make the dream of an inspiration garden a reality. They agreed that the garden should be a place of reflection, remembrance, and inspiration, and the name “Inspiration Garden” was born.
When Julie returned to campus to present her final drawings to the committee, everyone was enthralled with the unique design that is inspired by the school’s mascot, the beaver, and the beaver’s natural environment.
The Inspiration Garden was dedicated in a moving ceremony in the Spring of 2010. Julie Moir Messervey describes it best in her blog post on this lovely addition to Shore's campus greenscape. Shore students visit the garden and study the plants that it contains. Read Mrs. Coates' blog about the Inspiration Garden. |
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Kelly Sheehan '00
When I came to Shore in the third grade, my first thoughts were: how am I going to make new friends? will I like my new teacher? and most importantly, who am I going to sit with at lunch? Being an eight-year-old girl, of course I was not worried about my homework or the difficulty of classes, but about what I was wearing and whether anyone would like me. Luckily, my teacher, Lynn Pisanelli could not have been sweeter and more welcoming and during our gym class on the first day, a girl with bright red hair came up to me and asked if I would be her partner in blob tag. From that day on, Taryn and I were inseparable, and even when we both attended Brooks School many years later, she loved to retell this story to me and all of our new friends.
Taryn King was not only my best friend, but she was also a role model for me and continues to be, even today. She was always the most friendly and outgoing person, not to mention a diligent student (which is one of the many reasons why I loved being her partner for any type of project), and an incredible athlete. We played field hockey and lacrosse together, and she encouraged me to try ice hockey with her even though there were only four girls on the entire combined Shore/Brookwood team. Taryn’s radiant personality was infectious and truly brightened everyone’s day.
During the frigid winter of my sophomore year at Holy Cross, I heard the devastating news that my dear friend had passed away only hours before while abroad in Ireland. I was dumbstruck and immediately reached out to my friends from both Shore and Brooks. Over the next few days, while my fellow classmates and I gathered to say goodbye to our amazing friend, everyone agreed that something needed to be done to remember Taryn and all the wonderful moments we spent with her.
Over the next few years, members of the Shore faculty and staff began brainstorming ideas to create a special place on campus that would memorialize Taryn, Peter Bildner, another beloved member of my class, and other students who passed away before the age of thirty. Every one of these students had a profound impact on the Shore community and I was thrilled to learn there would finally be a beautiful place on campus to remember them by.
After I graduated from college this past spring, I was unsure of what I wanted to do, but was intrigued by the constant updates about the Inspiration Garden from my family. I knew that I wanted to help in any way I could and when I heard from Marge Cregg, Director of Advancement at Shore, I knew that volunteering in her office would not only be a great experience for me, but would also ensure that this garden, which is so important to me, would get built.
Taryn was like a part of my family, and I know that so many people feel the same way about the other young Shore alumni who lost their lives too early. This garden is a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to our dear friends and will be a perfect place to reflect on the past, present, and future. Losing a member of your family is truly devastating, but by banding together to create something the entire Shore community can enjoy will help us all to heal.
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