"I immediately knew when I started working at Lander that this was much more than a job," said Anissa Lawrence, chair of Lander University's Staff Senate, to a crowd of faculty, staff and guests gathered by the garden located in front of the Science Center on Lander's Greenwood campus. "I became a part of a big family."
It was in that spirit of family that Lander dedicated its Employee Remembrance Garden on Wednesday, Aug. 18. The garden is the product of a year-long project by the Staff Senate's Employee Appreciation and Recognition Committee. The project was spearheaded by Lawrence, as well as Eddie Shaw, Staff Senate chair emeritus, and Jack Clinkscales, electrician for Lander's physical plant and member of staff senate.
At the center of the garden, there is a small memorial that includes the names of recent faculty and staff who passed away while serving the University. Those names are Professor William "Jack" Burton, Michael "Mike" Dixon, Kelvin "KC" Coleman, Eric Lawson, Coris Louden, Catherine "Cathy" Roberts and Dr. Stanley "Stan" Vinson.
Lander President Richard Cosentino commended staff senate for their hard work on making the Remembrance Garden a reality, echoing Lawrence's remarks about the family atmosphere at Lander. "When I arrived here six years ago, I could tell that Lander University was a family," said Cosentino. "Our institution is made great because of how much our faculty and staff care for not only our students, but also for one another. The Employee Remembrance Garden is a testament to that."