Friends and family will gather with others in the Ruston community who never knew Phil Parker tomorrow to dedicate a living memorial to the former mayor. The ceremony starts at 11 am on the Winnifred Street median at 54th Street.Phil served on the Ruston council and as mayor for almost two decades. His death in 1995 left a hole in many hearts and meant the loss of seasoned, reasonable, intelligent and caring leadership for Ruston. One of his dying wishes was to have trees planted on the former Asarco smelter site using the money he donated, a hope for green life on the barren soil that he would never see.
No one envisioned in 1995 that we would still be looking over a barren site in 2011. So the time has come to plant a tree elsewhere in Phil's honor. I don't think he would have wanted the fuss of a plaque or dedication or even a tree "in his honor". I believe he just wanted to know there would be life again in the empty dirt along Ruston's shore.
But we, the living, need to honor him. We need to remember him. We need to pass along some of his legacy of quiet love for this town to those who never knew him. May generations to come look at this beautiful tree, read the plaque and know there once was a man named Phillip Parker who loved Ruston with all his heart...
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