Respect Project: abc 12 News (1 of 2)

Respect Project is dedicated to Firefighters & Police

Watch the Video (Courtesy of abc 12)

Flint — (10/15/02)–They’ve been very busy inside a Flint garage for the past few months. Two men are working on a project they hope people will appreciate for years to come.

abc12’s Randy Conat reports says they’ve been doing a lot of metal cutting and polishing lately. Two retired Flint fire fighters have been working together on two sculptures to honor police officers and fire fighters.
The project is called Respect. Retired Flint fire fighters Dennis Gardner and Ron Gallock first thought about this tribute eight years ago.

“We were sitting around the fire stations, bantering around ideas. This one kept repeating itself. We had to do it,” said Gardner.

At first, the project would show a lone fire fighter with head bowed. Burton police officers said they’d like the tribute to include a police officer. So now two stainless steel figures will stand on a hillside at the Burton City Hall complex.

“This will have a nice, eye-popping shine that will last forever,” Gardner said

Gallock designed the figures. He wants the project to honor fire fighters and police officers, both living and dead. Gallock says the Respect tribute has been a labor of love. “We enjoy it very much. We’ll have something that will stand for a long time,” Gallock said.

The silhouettes stand about seven and a half feet tall. A black wall will be erected behind the sculptures. They should be dedicated on Memorial Day next year.