Over the summer, the Hampton Alumni Remembrance Garden Committee completed Phase II of the Remembrance Garden project at Hampton High School. This project included the installation of a bronze statue of a white Labrador, representing the beloved Talbot dog. The new addition now stands alongside the "Fly Away" memorial statue, which depicts a little girl setting a bird free with her hands raised in the air.
During a School Board meeting in August 2022, Mr. Scott Docherty (Class of 1974) presented the visionary plans for Phase II of the Remembrance Garden project. Mr. Docherty's class holds the distinction of being the first to attend all four years at the newly-built Hampton High School. In his presentation, Mr. Docherty expressed the significance of the Talbot dog in the community's history.
“The Talbot dog was all white … a hardworking hunting dog,” said Mr. Docherty. “It was loyal, gentle, kind, and high spirited. There’s a dog that fits that exact image right now, and that is a white Lab.”
HTSD extends its profound gratitude to the Hampton Alumni Remembrance Garden Committee for generously funding this project and for their commitment to maintaining the beauty of the garden outside Hampton High School. The garden was originally dedicated in July 2014, and with the recent addition of the white Lab statue, it continues to serve as a space for remembrance and reflection.
The class of 1974 received approval from the Hampton Township School Board to plan and install a Class of 1974 Memorial Statue at the Hampton High School.
Representatives from the class appeared before the Board in early November 2013, seeking approval to place a memorial to the classmates they have lost over the years somewhere on District property, preferably at the High School. Scott Docherty, a 1974 graduate, represented his class in asking the Board for permission to establish the memorial. The Class of 1974 was the first class to attend all four years at the newly-built High School.
Mr. Docherty told Board members that his classmates already had raised $4,000, which was enough to purchase and install a memorial statue. The statue, called “Fly Away,” depicts a little girl with her hands up in the air prepared to set a bird free that she is holding.
“This statue symbolizes that we had to let go of our deceased classmates,” Mr. Docherty said. “But the girl has a happy face, which represents the good memories of the time spent in Hampton’s esteemed halls that we shared with those who are now gone.”
Mr. Docherty said they intend to seek donations and participation from other graduating classes at Hampton who wish to add to the memorial. He said alumni who have been part of the initial plan thus far envision creating an entire memorial garden, with new pieces being added each year as monies are raised to pay for it.
Board members thanked the Class of 1974 for its commitment and dedication to the project. The Board also decided to form a Hampton Alumni Remembrance Garden Committee to help establish parameters for future donations, projects and funding. Part of the committee’s duties will be to establish a trust fund for donations raised to pay for future maintenance or additions to the memorial.
The garden was officially dedicated - and the first two items placed there - on July 12, 2014.
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