Ghost Rider
“Tragedy is no stranger to the family of Preston Gleason, 21, of Anna.
Preston died Tuesday in an accident in McKinney at the intersection of Alma Drive and State Highway 121. McKinney Police Department officials said a tractor-trailer ran a red light and collided with Preston’s motorcycle.”
(from The Dallas Morning News - Aug 16, 2007)
I like roadside memorials. In a world of cookie-cutter flat concrete gravestones, roadside crosses are an up-close and personal reminder of death; that it may come at any time to any one of us.
I’m posting this particular photo because this week I was disturbed to see that another long-time memorial at LBJ Fwy & Joe Rosser Rd. had been removed. I don’t know if it’s because a lawnmower ran over it or because it was deemed an inappropriate site while the Highway Dept. was sprucing up the HOV lane in preparation to connect to the new HOV lanes on I75. Someone had been taking care of the small white cross for at least a year, and had an ivy plant nearby that circled prettily around the cross. I only ever saw the memorial at night on my way home from work and came to look for it as a signpost of my journey and a reminder that it’s better to get home safely than it is to get there quickly. And that sometimes even extra attention to safety isn’t enough.