Springfield-Greene County Park Board installed a memorial bench in Lafayette Park in Woodland Heights neighborhood at the request of friends and neighbors of Judy Bishop.
Judy, who lived across the street from Lafayette Park, passed away in August 2021. Grieving neighbors searched for something that could be done as a memorial to her.
One of the most common phrases she is remembered for is, “Come, sit a spell,” encouraging those passing by to take a minute, sit and visit. A bench seemed like the perfect memorial.
With the help of Habitat for Humanity Springfield (HFHS) and the Neighborhood Leadership Academy (NLA), funds were collected to engrave a bench to be installed in the park across from Judy’s house where walkers could “sit a spell”, catch their breath, read a book, or visit with a friend.
Our HFHS neighborhood liaison at the time, Kelsey Milholland, attended the NLA leadership classes and qualified for the Certificate from the Chancellor of the University of Missouri-St Louis. The certificate also came with $250 donation toward a community project. She chose to apply it toward the memorial bench for Judy.
The Neighborhood Leadership Academy (NLA) provides in-depth leadership training that emphasizes community building principles and strategies, project planning, organizational leadership and management practices, and personal leadership skills. We are grateful to Kelsey, HFHS, and NLA for making this memorial bench a reality in Judy’s memory.