Loren B. Horton
On a bright sunny Saturday, Mary's Garden came into being. A committee had decided on a fitting statue, donated by Mr. Kickels, in memory of his wife. The benches were a gift of the Madigans, in memory of a son. Sr. Mary Southard S.J. conceived the concept and model. Once approved, she had it cast in Chicago. At the same time, Rich's Nursery of Woodstock, a former SFX student, donated $ 3,500 of conifers selected by the committee. The plot itself was a 30 square foot area filled with weeds and bits of tar paper. Nine yards of topsoil and garden stone filled the menu. The Men's club arrived en masse. Using a garden tractor, the area was cleared, the extraneous bushes transplanted, topsoil spread, and an attractive stone-outlined garden plot appeared. A few hours later, Mary, in her original form now existed.