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05.13.05 Darrell Rice "Darrell's Dream" planned as memorial to Erskine alumnus A playground designed to be fully accessible to children of all abilities is planned for construction in Tennessee at a projected cost of $1.3 million and named in memory of Darrell Rice, a member of the Erskine College Class of 1953 who died Jan. 30, 2004. "Darrell's Dream," based on an idea conceived by Rice, will be one of only a handful of such playgrounds in the United States. "The idea for the project was started by Darrell Rice several years ago," said Robert W. Miller of Kingsport, Tenn., a member of the Class of 1939. "However, Darrell died before the plan got very far along." "I am not really sure where Dad got the idea, but I know he wanted a place where all children, regardless of their physical circumstances, could play," said Tim Rice of Greer, a member of the Class of 1983. "He talked about the project to me and my family. Greer has a similar playground called Kids Planet, and he went there to look at it for some ideas." Miller said local residents Betty Devinney and Mary Steadman "took up the reins and have done a good job in promoting it." Steadman, of Blountville, Tenn., said the project began with the Friends of Warriors Path State Park, a group started by Rice. "The Friends (organization) was created to mobilize volunteers to assist staff in the preservation and perpetuation of Warriors Path State Park, one of the most visited state parks in Tennessee," she said. "As we were searching the Internet, we came across an organization called 'Boundless Playgrounds,' their goal being to help communities develop universally accessible playgrounds for children of all abilities," said Steadman. "The committee led by Darrell Rice felt we needed to go the extra mile to create not only a playground, but a facility for children of all abilities that currently did not exist in the Tri-Cities area or within a several-hundred-mile radius." Steadman said the playground would serve the Tri-Cities Tennessee-Virginia metropolitan area. "Warriors Path State Park, where it will be located, is easily accessible to all the communities in northeast Tennessee, as well as our neighbors in southwest Virginia and western North Carolina." Project plans include a specially constructed playground, an outdoor classroom, a landscape maze with a dozen interactive stations and a fully accessible perimeter trail. Steadman said "social, sensory and physical development opportunities" will be provided for children, and she is enthusiastic about all these possibilities. "Our fully accessible perimeter trail that will take children back into the forest area will also provide yet another opportunity for children who are wheelchair bound (and) unable to go hiking to do so and experience nature first-hand," she said. Steadman explained what she believes lay behind Darrell Rice's dream. "When Darrell Rice retired, he designed a business card to use in his volunteer efforts," she said. "On this card was a "Turtle on a Fence Post" graphic. This always led to the question, 'Why a turtle on a Fence Post?'" Rice would then explain "if you're ever driving down a highway and you see a turtle on a fencepost, you know someone had put him there, because the turtle couldn't get there on his own." That image was the key to Rice's numerous volunteer efforts. "Darrell felt like he was the turtle on the fencepost who had received help throughout his life and he believed in helping others," Steadman said. "We are proud of Dad and the way he always wanted to give back to the community and find ways to help people," Tim Rice said. Steadman said fund-raising is nearly complete for "Darrell's Dream," and gave credit to "the Friends of Warriors Path State Park, Tennessee State Parks and staff of Warriors Path State park along with countless business, industries and individuals across the Tri-Cities Tennessee-Virginia Region who have come together to make this dream a reality." Reflecting on Rice's years of volunteer work, Steadman said, "Communities are often judged by the services they offer and by their citizens and in Darrell, our community was represented by the best." She said many of the businesses and individuals contributing to the project "knew Darrell personally and wanted to pay tribute to him for all he had done for our region, community and through his faith in God." Groundbreaking for "Darrell's Dream" is planned for this summer, and Tim Rice said he hopes to be there for the grand opening.
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