PORT ANGELES — A memorial bench created by many generous hands and placed at Lincoln High School will be formally dedicated in honor of Melissa Carter, who was murdered in December 2004.
The dedication at 4 p.m. Tuesday falls on what would have been Carter’s 21st birthday.
Carter’s family and friends set out last year to raise money for the memorial, but in the end nearly everything was donated, said Susan Hillgren, who has been a driving force behind having the memorial installed.
Lincoln Welding Industries donated the framework for the bench. Tom Gagnon donated the wood. Sequim Building trades did the carpentry work at no cost, and John Schumacher designed the painting of the bench.
Angeles Concrete donated the cement, and Port Angeles School District allowed the group to place the bench on school property.
“It was really a great thing,” Hillgren said.
Tom and Cindy Kelly are paying to have a plaque created with the slain 15-year-old’s name and other information. The plaque has not yet been installed but has been ordered, Hillgren said.
In addition to having some music and some words said about Carter, a balloon-releasing ceremony will also be held at the dedication.
Those attending may write the names of loved ones who have died on small pieces of paper. Six balloons will be released in their memory.
Carter’s murderer, Robert Covarrubias, pleaded guilty on July 23, 2009, and was sentenced to 34 ½ years to life in prison after he requested to have life in prison.
He had been convicted in 2006 of murdering Carter after raping her.
The conviction was overturned on technicalities, and he had returned briefly to Clallam County to stand trial again before changing his plea.
Melissa’s mother, Carla Carter, as well as many of her friends and her brothers will attend the ceremony on Tuesday, Hillgren said.
Her father, Christopher Carter, died in December.
The dedication is open to the public, Hillgren said.
The school is at 924 W. Ninth St.
She also said the bench is meant to be a reflective place for anyone in Port Angeles.
“It is about creating a special place for everybody to enjoy,” she said.
“Everyone has had someone who has gone on before.
“This is a place they can come to, be at peace and centered, and remember the good times they had with their loved one.”
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
