One of the new mini park areas along the State Street corridor will be dedicated this weekend to the memory of a fallen soldier from Columbus.
A dedication ceremony to memorialize the life of Sgt. Jonathon M. Hunter at the newly completed green space at Indiana Avenue and State Street will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Hunter, 23, died Aug. 2, 2017, as a result of a suicide bombing attack on a NATO convoy near Kandahar, Afghanistan. Hunter, who was providing security during his first deployment, was one of two American soldiers killed during that attack.
At least nine members of Hunter’s family are expected to be in attendance Saturday, said Mark Hunter, Sgt. Hunter’s father.
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Members of the local Copperhead Ford off-road racing team will also be at the ceremony, Mark Hunter said.
Copperhead Ford isn’t the only racing team to honor the fallen Columbus soldier and 2011 Columbus East High School graduate.
During last month’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sgt. Hunter’s name was on the No. 6 car driven by Matt Kenseth.
City officials scheduled to speak briefly during the ceremony include Mayor Jim Lienhoop and councilman Dascal Bunch, whose district includes the southeast Columbus neighborhood.
One of two mini-park areas recently completed as part of the State Street Bridge and Corridor Project, the Indiana Avenue green space features a pedestrian-friendly landscaped brick way, crushed pavement and puzzle benches.
In addition, engraved bricks adopted by community members in order to celebrate the revitalization of State Street have been installed as part of the brick way.
They include inscriptions from both Copperhead Ford and Hunter’s widow. Besides her name, the brick engraving from Whitney Hunter reads “RIP, my love.”
The couple had been married nine months before Sgt. Hunter was deployed to Afghanistan in early July of last year.
The key mission of the State Street project is to create a long-term vision for enhancing the corridor’s overall land use, economic vitality, and physical appearance and image.
