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2023 IMAGES
| Reed
Memorial created and installed in 2002 *Yearly reoccurring noon sun angle and shadow tip alignment with date marker on March 22, the date Mr. Reed was killed in the line of duty. |
Photos indicate noon shadow before March 22 date marker attached
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installation September 2022
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Barre, VT, engraving text
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Addendum
“As a side note to this project, my dad Richard Van Alstine who often helped me, was on the trip. Somewhere during the long ride to Vermont - I guess we had stone monuments on our minds - we got talking about what we might like to see as our family memorial-headstone. Neither of us wanted your ‘average-joe' rectangular block – ‘and do you know how much those boring, ugly, uninspiring things cost ... !' Little did we know an opportunity was about to presented itself.
It was unplanned and spur of the moment when it dawned on us ... we were having letters sandblasted in to the Reed granite, we would be paying for an entire 40' tractor trailer to transport the 10-ton piece back to Wells, and there was a whole quarry offering many other interesting stones ... why not grab one, have ‘Van Alstine' blasted in on and throw on the truck – go for “two-fer”. And that's what we did!”
Van
Alstine stone as found in quarry yard with digital letter mock-up
Van Alstine Stone with bother Mark and niece Kara Van Alstine, 2019
Initially the Van Alstine stone was placed along busy Rte. 30, patiently waiting to be pressed into service. At the head of the entrance road to the Wells complex, it acted as a large and very impressive road sign and studio landmark. In 2006 when dad died, Hunt Brothers, a local contractor who had helped with other property projects, lifted the stone with one of their huge front loaders and carried to the top of hill in the Wells Cemetery and dropped onto a site I had prepared. Because of its extraordinary presence, its removal created confusion for those looking for the landmark. It wasn't something you would expect to disappear.
As a stone sculptor, I fretted many years on what would be my appropriate grave marker – it's nice to have that one crossed off my ‘to-do' list.”
Backside of Van Alstine Stone with (L to R) Kara, Mark and Audrey Van Alstine, 2019
Carved/sandblasted
lettering, Van Alstine Family stone, 2019
Backside of Van Alstine Stone with (L to R) Kara, Mark and Audrey Van Alstine, 2019