Good morning Larkspur students and staff! As we dedicate this garden in memory of my son, David, I am filled with mixed emotions: I am sad, happy, honored, and sad again, all at the same time.

    I am sad because my son died. David was a captain and an aviator in the Marine Corps, and was killed in a helicopter crash, defending our nation from the many threats it faces today. Though his death has been the most terrible thing I have ever faced, I am immensely proud of him and his service to our country.

    But at the same time, I am happy that his memory will live on in this beautiful garden, and that through it, generations of young people will be able to learn about nature and some of the native plants of Texas.

    This garden has a long history. For several years, Audrey Garcia and I have tried to win grant money for a xeriscape garden that could be used as an outdoor classroom, but without success. Finally, Audrey combined several of the old grants and wrote a new one for the North East District and the Department of Texas Parks and Wildlife. It was a match made in heaven. We liked them and they liked us. At last we were successful! We worked closely with Thea Platz from our school district on what exactly was required of us. We attended Saturday sessions where we learned about water saving gardens, read a lot books, and made plans for our new garden. From the small seed planted by that twenty-five hundred dollar grant that we won, nurtured by our principal, Dolores Ramon, and guided by the unflagging energy and direction of our vice-principal, Steve McCarthy, this garden has, with the help from our teachers, staff, students, and PTA community, grown and bloomed into a setting worth several times more than that original twenty-five hundred dollars. And that worth is only enhanced by the scrapbook that Paula Sims has lovingly put together and donated to the library, illustrating the history of the garden and who my son was, for the future generations of Larkspur students who might wonder about it.

    I am also deeply honored by the commitment and support of the Larkspur family. We received so many donations, it was mind-boggling. Who can forget the sight of so many of you digging and planting? Beth Vacek, Heather Holzmann, Adriana Khalife, Scott Bond (Pamie Maguire’s husband from Maine), the whole Sims family, and all of you who dug and sweated in the sun to plant this garden. I especially wanted to mention the generosity of Lynn, our construction foreman who generously gave his time and equipment to do those things, which we could not have done by hand. And I wanted to thank those anonymous men who were installing the retaining wall, in between relaxing in the bed of their pickup and listening to the strains of Margaritaville.

    But the value of this garden cannot be measured in money or time or sweat alone. Instead, let it be measured by the metric of learning, and all its promises to our children; and of the love of country, dedication, and sacrifice of a brave young man who is no longer with us.

    So I feel honored, and sad and happy all at once, that Larkspur has chosen to honor the legacy of my son, through this wonderful garden of learning. Thank you.