COURTESY PHOTO
Pictured is Boston Marathon bombing victim Krystle Campbell.
By STEVE FREKER
MEDFORD — It has been four years since the Boston Marathon bombings changed the city of Boston and the region forever; the reverberations of the day hit Medford hard with the death of Krystle Campbell.
The 29-year-old Medford High graduate and former University of Massachusetts-Boston student was one of three people killed during the initial attack April 15, 2013.
Medford has embraced her memory with an annual Medford High Mustang girls softball tournament coordinated by head coach Jack Dempsey.
The fourth tournament will be held this weekend at the Columbus School. Event proceeds, including “Medford Strong” T-shirts and raffles, will go toward the Krystle Campbell Scholarship Fund at Medford High.
“Krystle was a three-year member of the softball team when she was at Medford High and we thought it was fitting to honor her memory since her passing,” Dempsey said. “Our softball team looks forward to this tournament every (year) and the Medford community and the local businesses really get behind it. It’s a fantastic weekend for a great cause.”
This year will be the anniversary of the unveiling of the $1.2 million Krystle Campbell Peace Garden in Medford. Initiated by former Medford Mayor Michael J. McGlynn, the memorial on Riverside Avenue was funded by state and federal grants along with private donations.
Fourteen months in the making, the garden was unveiled in September 2016 with Medford Mayor Stephanie M. Burke, McGlynn, state Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, and others in attendance.
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William Campbell said his family was deeply moved by the tribute to his daughter. “She was a beautiful lady,” he said. “Just a beautiful lady. She would come to a place like this.”
The garden was designed to replicate the marathon course, with bronze plaques identifying many of the mile markers. A central seating area faces four fountains which represent the four fatalities, surrounding a fifth fountain for the more than 250 who were injured; a number of whom were seriously hurt and lost limbs. Plaques representing the lives of the four killed were installed as the four points on a compass.
An April 8 ceremony at the garden and luncheon at the adjacent Medford Senior Center included the presentation of $5,000 scholarships to two UMass Boston students: Leona Smith of Revere and Eden Blakeley of Dorchester. Both plan to pursue their education at Krystle Campbell’s alma mater.
Seven runners that ran Monday’s marathon in Krystle Campbell’s honor gathered outside Medford City Hall, dressed in yellow, long-sleeved shirts and bright blue tank tops bearing her name.
A mile run through Medford passed by the Campbell family home. Burke, in remarks at the April 8 luncheon, said $680,000 of a $1 million goal had already been raised for the scholarship fund.
“We will continue to remember Krystle in her home city of Medford,” Burke said. “We will always honor her legacy.”
