What Jim Would Have Wanted

The family of the late Jim Shaw gather Saturday, August 2, 2008 to honor his memory with the dedication of new playground equipment at Stover Park in Milledgeville. The park is located on the west edge of Milledgeville on Stover Ave.

Jim's son, Andy Shaw of Milledgeville, was pleased with the idea and the support from his family and the community.

"My step-brother Mike Munz and the Milledgeville Men's Club worked over 3 weeks to build the play set. They are all great community-minded people. Their help saved a lot of money toward this project.

"This is one phase of the park project," Shaw added. "The equipment is modular and the park has room to grow. Fund-raising continues for the Milledgeville Park District."

"His memorial money was used to buy this piece of playground equipment," said Marty Stage, sister of Jim's wife, Kathy Shaw. "What a great idea to keep his memory alive and give the kids a great deal of enjoyment! That's what Jim would have wanted - kids to be having fun." 

During the ceremony, Corrine Nye, director of the Milledgeville Park District said, "Jim always told me that he loved seeing his grand-children playing at Stover Park. Thank you to Kathy and his family for passing on Jim's love to the Village of Milledgeville, its children, and the Park District."

Bill-Mart T's, owned and operated by Bill and Marty Stage, produced dedication shirts, which sold-out at the ceremony. "We are donating the proceeds from the t-shirts to the Milledgeville Park District for a fund toward future playground equipment."

Lunch was served and prepared by Jill (Jim's daughter) and Bob Hatheway, owners of Shaw's Food Pride in Mt. Carroll. The proceeds were also donated to the Park District.

For more information on how to donate to this community betterment project, or to order your dedication t-shirt, contact Corinne Nye at the Milledgeville Park District at .

(PA video and photos/Tom Kocal)