Melvin Davis, Former Chairman of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners

“We felt like it was appropriate to have a piece of that World Trade Center here in Oconee County to remind individuals of what happened on that day. I was excited to be a part of that and wholeheartedly supported it and was part of the dedication ceremony here, which I thought was good, but I’ll never forget when it was delivered here.”

“(I) got the call that it was on the way. And Scott Berry (former Oconee County Sheriff) and myself, John Gentry (former Director of Parks and Recreation) and several others were here when they delivered it. And then we brought it inside, of course, and we put it on the stand and that type of thing.”

“It’s nice to have that on memorial. With the impact of the moment when the World Trade Center collapsed, and the devastation that took place, and to have a piece of it here and to be able to touch (it), that brings back the memory of what happened. And the response to that was a miracle at that time. I don’t know of times, during my lifetime at least, that I was aware of the way that the United States came together. Every time somebody walks by it to (go to) the meeting room back here or in the gymnasium or upstairs to the workout room, that reminds them of what took place, and reminds them of the impact that day had on all of us.”

Photo and interview by Lilli Dickens as part of the Advanced Photojournalism course at the College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.