Sometimes it seems like every stretch of road around San Diego is someone's "memorial highway", which means there's a sign by the road with their name on it. I've kind of scoffed ("scoffed" is really too strong a word) at this, until I saw a couple that gave me pause.
The first was Steven Rucker Memorial Highway, in Wynola. Wynola is located between Santa Ysabel and Julian, CA. In 2003, there were fires in San Diego County that, in some cases, burned from the mountains all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Steven Rucker was an engineer for the Novato Fire Department, north of San Francisco, and was killed fighting the fires here. I remember how terrible I felt when I heard of his death. To think that this man traveled over 500 miles to die saving our lives seems unspeakably tragic. I think it's worth reflecting on the sacrifices of someone like Steven Rucker.
I also recently noticed the Amber DuBois Memorial Highway in Escondido, CA. Amber DuBois, 14, was abducted while walking to school in Feb. 2009. John Albert Gardner III, a registered sex offender, was later arrested and pled guilty to the rape and murder of Amber DuBois and also the rape and murder of Chelsea King, 17. This case got quite a bit of coverage in the media, and once again reinforces the finality of death, and the brutality that we human beings are capable of.
The first was Steven Rucker Memorial Highway, in Wynola. Wynola is located between Santa Ysabel and Julian, CA. In 2003, there were fires in San Diego County that, in some cases, burned from the mountains all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Steven Rucker was an engineer for the Novato Fire Department, north of San Francisco, and was killed fighting the fires here. I remember how terrible I felt when I heard of his death. To think that this man traveled over 500 miles to die saving our lives seems unspeakably tragic. I think it's worth reflecting on the sacrifices of someone like Steven Rucker.
I also recently noticed the Amber DuBois Memorial Highway in Escondido, CA. Amber DuBois, 14, was abducted while walking to school in Feb. 2009. John Albert Gardner III, a registered sex offender, was later arrested and pled guilty to the rape and murder of Amber DuBois and also the rape and murder of Chelsea King, 17. This case got quite a bit of coverage in the media, and once again reinforces the finality of death, and the brutality that we human beings are capable of.