PITTSBURG, Kan. — On May 8, a memorial Pin Oak was planted in Lakeside Park to commemorate PJ Graham, or Peggy Lassiter, who was a member of the Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) since its conception three years ago.
“She was a person that just was very dedicated to the cause of the betterment of the community,” NAC Chair Glennis Lawson said. “And she was contagious with that passion.”
After battling Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer for six years, Graham died Jan. 13. Lawson, who worked closely with Graham on the NAC said she didn’t realize the severity of her illness.
“She's not a person that would put her burden on other people,” Lawson said. “She kept it very private and quiet, so it's just something we felt like we could do to honor her commitment to the community. We wanted to do something to memorialize her, and the best way we could come up with was a tree, because she was so passionate about the outdoors and gardening.”
The council consulted with her life partner, Allen Childers, on the project, and he chose a Pin Oak to be planted in her memory at Lakeside Park. Childers said he believes Graham would love to see the Pin Oak’s leaves turn bright red in the fall.
“It made me feel like it was a wonderful tribute to her and putting it at Lakeside Park was especially meaningful to her because she really supported the Story Walk,” Childers said. “She liked that the Story Walk was there, and one of the last few times she was able to walk unassisted was walking around the Story Walk reading it for the last time.”
Childers said Graham was excited to be a part of the NAC when she first heard about the council, and she joined because she was passionate about beautifying the city and helping others.
The NAC is a group of people dedicated to helping others find solutions for dilapidated houses or unruly overgrown yards. The group tries to find resources for those who need help. The NAC meets at noon the first Wednesday of every month in the basement of Memorial Auditorium.
“I am thankful for the support, all the support the city, especially the Pittsburg Public Library, the Neighborhood Advisory Council and the City of Pittsburg, have given to this, given to honor PJ and her contribution to the city,” Childers said. “And she really loved working at the library. She loved being involved with trying to I to better the city and turn it into a place that we could all live in and be proud of.”
In the coming months, once the tree settles into its new home at Lakeside, a memorial plaque will be placed by the tree.
“I think the tree will grow to be mighty and strong just like she was,” Childers said. “And it will be a refuge for all those who come under its branches.”
This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.
