Turning Tragedy Into a Gift to Manchester

We’re lucky here in Manchester. We have great police and public works departments.  We finally have a board of aldermen who seem willing to work together in this city’s best interest.  We have dedicated employees who keep our city humming like a well-oiled machine.  And we have an excellent parks and recreation department.  They work  hard to maintain our beautiful city parks and our various parks programs: summer camp, the pool, concerts in the park, homecoming…the list goes on.  But now, we have something more to celebrate-and be grateful for - the .

Corey was a 2002 graduate of .  He was a member of the PSH Marching Band and  a lover of music and . By all accounts, he was a young man who loved life. 

I have three kids who went through Parkway South, Ashley, class of  2000, Cassidy, class of 2010 and Jackson, soon to be a junior, class of 2013.  As a parent, you spend a lot of time at PSH:  concerts, parent-teacher conferences,  various sporting events, fundraisers, we all know the drill. 

And the teenage years are tumultuous-they don’t always realize that “parents are people too” and maybe we would rather be home on the couch watching our favorite tv show or reading a good book.  But you cope. 

And when you see them graduate, in some ways, you relax.  They are off to their future. You can give advice, but ultimately the chips will fall.  You envision  the day when they will graduate from college, find a wonderful job,  fall in love, marry and of course, produce the world’s most perfect grandchildren. 

But Corey’s parents never got to see that vision come true.  He died in a car accident  in April 2003, less than a year after he graduated from PSH.  I can’t even imagine the pain. Part of me would just want to curl up in a ball and never go out into the real world again.  But Corey’s family did an amazing thing.  They took the worst of all possible tragedies and turned it in to a blessing for their son’s, and our, hometown.  They decided to work toward donating an , that would be home to promote performing-something that Corey loved. 

And last Thursday night, I watched as Corey’s mother,  Laurie King, with grace and a strength that I can only imagine, spoke at the dedication of the amphitheater named after her son; an amphitheater that will remain a part of our city long after we all are gone.  I spoke with Eileen Collins, director of Manchester’s Parks & Recreation Department, who said that the amphitheater would never have come to pass without the vision, support and dedication from Corey’s parents,  Jim  and Kathy Donnelly and Laurie and Ron King.  The money and support from this blended family, including Corey‘s six siblings, made such a difference to our community. 

In honoring Corey, you have given us all a gift. 

And with Mother’s Day having just passed us by, and Father’s Day yet to come, thank you.  Your gift is amazing.  And did I mention that right at the end of the dedication, while the PSH Symphonic band played “An Irish Farewell,” that a rainbow appeared just east of the park?  Amazing Grace.

Here’s to a wonderful summer of concerts.  And a very special thank you to Corey's Family.