Macon City Council Approves Lauren Giddings Memorial Bench in Washington Park

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon City Council approves a resolution to place a bench in honor of slain Mercer law grad Lauren Giddings in Washington Park.

The idea for the memorial bench came from Giddings’ running club friends.

After working with several department heads and city workers, her friends and family finally got approval for the bench to be placed in what they say was her favorite park.  The bench will be installed with no cost to the city.

Also at Tuesday night’s meeting, council passed new legislation sponsored by councilman Louis Thompkins that will set guidelines for who can have a memorial in the city and for what reasons.

“She was someone who gave a lot to the city of Macon,” says Sarah Gerwig-Moore, one of Giddings’ college professors.  “She volunteered and she interned in several offices here in Macon.  We wanted our community to recognize the contributions that she made while she lived here, and a bench in her favorite park seemed like the right thing to do.”

Coming up later this month, a memorial event for Lauren Giddings is set for Washington Square Park.  Her family and friends say she loved the Second Sunday concert events, so this event follows in that tradition.

On August 25th, you can come out to celebrate Lauren’s life with live music and more.  The free picnic in the park is from 7 to 9 p.m.