NCBA Dedicates New Liberty Garden
Article Date: Monday, May 21, 2012
Written By: Russell Rawlings
NCBA President Mike Colombo convenes Liberty Garden dedication ceremony. |
North Carolina Bar Association members celebrated the official opening of the new Liberty Garden Thursday at the N.C. Bar Center in Cary. The project marks the first extensive addition to the NCBA and NCBA Foundation headquarters since its doors opened in 1994.
The N.C. Bar Center also serves as home to the Wake County/10th Judicial District Bar Associations, Lawyers Mutual Liability Insurance Co., Lawyer Insurance Agency and the N.C. Association of Defense Attorneys.
The dedication program included remarks and welcoming statements from NCBA President Mike Colombo, President-Elect D. Clark Smith Jr., Development Committee Chair John W. Mason and Mayor Ernie McAlister from the Town of Cary.
The Rev. Ron Lewis of First Christian Church in Cary provided the invocation.
The presentation of colors was conducted by the Cougar Battalion Army Junior ROTC of Wake Forest-Rolesville High School under the direction of Lt. Col. Dimitri M. Belmont. The National Anthem and additional entertainment were provided by the Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School Choral Group under the direction of Elsie Norton.
President-Elect Clark Smith, left, commends John Mason, Development Committee chair, for his efforts. |
The Liberty Garden’s numerous naming opportunities will generate new sources of funding for the NCBA Foundation Endowment which funds educational and public service initiatives of the bar.
Approximately $2.5 million in endowment grants have been awarded since the establishment of the endowment in 1987, including more than $350,000 in scholarships to students from families of N.C. law enforcement officers who have died or been disabled in the line of duty.
The focal point of the Liberty Garden is the Liberty Fund Wall of Honor. The curved-glass mosaic wall constructed of brushed stainless steel partially encloses the granite Liberty Plaza. Each glass panel will honor a North Carolina attorney whose career demonstrates dedication to the pursuit of justice and outstanding service to the profession and the public.
A Liberty Fund recognizes the honoree and his or her contributions to the state’s legal profession with a glass panel inscribed with the attorney’s likeness, name, hometown and important dates.
Initially, law firms, colleagues or families can establish a Liberty Fund with a gift of $10,000.
Four Liberty Funds were dedicated Thursday honoring Walter F. Brinkley of Lexington and the late Herbert H. Taylor Jr. of Tarboro, past-presidents of the NCBA, and Alfred L. Purrington III and the late Herbert S. Falk Jr. of Greensboro.
Walkway benches honoring the late Kenneth G. Hite Jr. of Greenville, John W. Mason of Asheville and N.C. Supreme Court Justice John Webb of Wilson were dedicated, as was a metal memorial bench honoring the late Z. Creighton Brinson of Tarboro.
The walkway benches and metal memorial bench were underwritten through contributions of $5,000 and $3,000, respectively.
Lakeview Plaza Pavers were dedicated in honor of Cal Adams, Ben O. Bridgers, James E. Cross Jr., Stuart B. Dorsett, Kearns Davis, Mark A. Finkelstein, Rep. R. Phillip Haire, Thomas E. Harris, Bernard B. Hollowell, Judge Robert C. Hunter of the N.C. Court of Appeals, Jo Hambrick Kittner, J. B. Lee Jr., Catherine Powell Lee, Billy B. Olive, Gregory J. Ramage, Rebekah L. Randolph, Richard A. Wood Jr. and A. A. Zollicoffer Jr.
Pavers are funded through gifts ranging from $250-$1,500.
The Liberty Garden was designed to provide a tranquil setting that expands the utilization of the Bar Center site for North Carolina lawyers and their guests. As the Bar Center’s newest venue, the Liberty Garden promises to become a popular outdoor space for informal gatherings and receptions while commemorating the important contributions of lawyers who represent the diversity of North Carolina’s legal profession.