Pandemic memorial at Capitol to be dedicated Wednesday

The memorial is pictured on Monday, after the final sod had been laid and watered. The Capitol steps are in the background on the right. (Kentucky Health News photo by Al Cross; click on it to enlarge)

The state's permanent memorial to Kentucky vicims of the Covid-19 pandemic will be dedicated at 2 p.m. Wednesday on the grounds of the state Capitol.

The memorial – titled “United We Stand. Divided We Fall,” after the state motto – was designed and sculpted by Kentucky native Amanda Matthews, artist and chief executive officer of Lexington's Prometheus Foundry.

“This phenomenal new memorial honors the 18,653 Kentuckians lost during this once-a-century pandemic,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a press release. “It will stand in a place of prominence in the Capitol Monument Park for generations to come so that they might learn about the great challenges we faced and how Kentuckians came together during this crisis.”

Matthews said her work "captures the ideals and visual symbols of our state motto and seal in three-dimensional form. Most important to the concept are the diverse people of Kentucky and their fear and grief during the time of Covid, yet their strength and hope for better days."

The memorial's center is encircled by green lights, symbolizing empathy and compassion for the Kentuckians lost throughout the pandemic; white lights shine through the night until sunrise.

The memorial has several semi-abstract human figures
of varying sizes. (Commonwealth of Kentucky photo)

The human figures in the memorial each have a small bell in a cutout where the heart would be. Matthews told the Lexington Herald-Leader, "When you grieve deeply it affects your whole body, but ut really, truly, affects your heart space and I wanted to show that emptiness."

The dedication will begin with the chiming of bells by Kandie Adkinson, a longtime employee in the secretary of state’s office, recalling Beshear's request early in the pandemic that Kentuckians ring bells at 10 a.m. each day "so that those who were feeling alone would know we were with them," the release says. For months, each weekday at 10 a.m. in the Capitol rotunda, Adkinson rang her father’s bell 120 times to honor those lost in each county. 

The memorial's final design was selected by an advisory panel of health-care workers, Covid-19 survivors, and family members and loved ones of victims.

“The Covid-19 Memorial is a beautiful way to honor all those we loved dearly,” panel member Jacqueline Woodward said. “It will ensure future generations remember the dedicated Kentuckians we lost during this tragic pandemic that impacted so many lives. May the memorial be another means to bring comfort and peace to those who lost a loved one. I feel truly blessed to be a part of this project.”

Woodward will speak at the dedication, along with Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer at UofL Health, who will talk about the impact of Covid-19 in the state and the memorial’s creation.

“This memorial honors the thousands of Kentuckians we lost throughout the pandemic,” Smith said in the release. “It also represents the strength of our commonwealth and our citizens to join together, support each other and persevere. The pandemic revealed many heroes. In particular, it shines a light on the incredible work of our health-care workers, who put themselves on the front line to protect and heal our community. This memorial is a symbol of hope and stands as a reminder that our work towards keeping our state safe is not done.”

Beshear will speak about the two main legacies of the pandemic in Kentucky, the release said, quoting him in advance: “One is loss. In a little more than three years, this evil virus caused the deaths of more than 1.1 million Americans, including more than 18,600 Kentuckians. But this memorial also reflects a second legacy of Covid, and that’s the unity and coming together that saved tens of thousands of lives and ultimately allowed us to end the pandemic. We, as Kentuckians, answered the call in times of tragedy and lived out our faith and values: living for one another, loving our neighbors as ourselves and being the Good Samaritans helping those in need.”

The release said "the primary donors" to the memorial fund were most of the state's leading hospital systems: Norton Healthcare, Baptist Health, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, King’s Daughters Health System, UofL Health, University of Kentucky and Pikeville Medical Center. It concludes, "Numerous private donations rounded out the funding and no tax dollars were used."