Summerlin memorial to honor Sept. 11 victim

Plans were unveiled for a permanent memorial to Barbara Edwards, a language teacher at Palo Verde High School in Summerlin who was killed when American Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

The memorial is a joint project by student leaders, faculty and administrators of Palo Verde High School; The Howard Hughes Corp.; and JMA Architecture Studios.

Palo Verde Principal Paul Oisboid said the idea for the memorial was initially presented to the school by Tom Warden, vice president of marketing and community relations for Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin, which had enlisted the help of Tom Schoeman of JMA Architecture Studios.

"The school was already actively engaged in raising money for the Barbara Edwards Memorial scholarship fund, but we also liked the idea of a permanent memorial," Oisboid said. "So with the help of Hughes, JMA and others, we are making it a reality."

According to Warden, the memorial's design is still being fine-tuned, but will be built in two phases. Preliminary drawings for the first phase feature a reflective area on the corner of Palo Verde's soccer field overlooking the Las Vegas Valley.

"The site is particularly meaningful since Ms. Edwards was an avid supporter of Palo Verde's soccer program," Warden said.

The memorial's first phase, expected to be completed this school year, will include stone blocks set into the ground surrounding a seating area. Handprints from many of Edwards' students will accent the stones.

The second phase will be located on the hillside below phase one's overlook. It is currently planned as an outdoor study area. Construction is tentatively scheduled for the 2003-04 school year and is projected to cost about $100,000.

Both phases of the Barbara Edwards Memorial will be privately funded.

The school has already raised more than $30,000, which is being divided equally between the scholarship and memorial funds.

Hughes and JMA are helping underwrite the memorial's first phase, which is projected to cost about $50,000. Additional assistance is being sought from the community.

"Although the world will never be the same as a result of the events of Sept. 11, building this memorial is a meaningful and constructive activity for the community and the students. While the memorial is dedicated to a single individual, it is a broader celebration of life and the basic goodness of humanity," Warden said.

Palo Verde High School is one of 16 schools in the community.

Summerlin has ranked as the nation's best-selling master-planned community nine of the past 10 years, according to independent surveys. Situated along the western rim of the Las Vegas Valley, it is being developed in villages.

The community is home to eight golf courses, nearly 100 parks, nearly 100 miles of trails, houses of worship, shopping centers, medical facilities, cultural facilities, business parks and nearly 100 model homes.

Single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums are priced from the mid-$100,000s to more than $700,000. Custom lots ranging from one-half to three-quarters of an acre are priced from the high $300,000s to nearly $1 million, and predesigned custom homes are priced from $1.5 million.

To visit the community's home finding center, travel west on Sahara Avenue to Town Center Drive and turn north. Or, take Interstate 215 to Sahara Avenue and turn north on Town Center Drive. The center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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