Several hundred came to Ryan Hummert Memorial Park on Thursday, July 21, in Maplewood to dedicate the sculpture of Maplewood firefighter Ryan Hummert. The day was the eighth anniversary of the day that Maplewood firefighter Hummert was shot and killed on the first and only fire call of his career.
Maplewood City Manager Marty Corcoran; Mayor Jim White, police chief at the time; Mark Langston, mayor at the time; Fire Chief Terry Merrell, newly hired in 2008; and Andy Hummert, Ryan’s father all spoke to the audience about July 21, 2008. (See Langston’s comments below.)
Mark Langston’s comments at the dedication, courtesy of Langston:
In 2008, Maplewood was in the midst of our 100 year celebration as a city… and our community was focused on so many different things. But, as the sun began to rise on the morning of July 21, 2008, life changed for us here in Maplewood…with the senseless tragedy of Ryan Hummerts death.
We all changed that day.We became better neighbors to one another. We took time to hug one another in our time of need. We took stock in what is truly important in our lives.
Eight years has passed, many of us hold onto vivid memories that can’t be forgotten.
I remember my wife Maria waking me up to the sound of helicopters and sirens on that hot early summer morning. I can’t begin to tell you how difficult it was to receive the call from City Manager Marty Corcoran. He briefed me about two police officers being shot. Then Marty began to report on what had happened to Ryan, he began to cry, he said it was his fault because he had hired Ryan. There was little comfort that I could offer him. I held my wife Maria and our boys Michael and Matthew close and headed to city hall. I had decided to enter city hall from the fire house instead of the main entrance and there, holding each other tight was Jackie and Andy and asking with broken hearts, “where is our son.”
I will never forget the sadness and the resolve in the eyes of our then Police Chief Jim White that everything was being done to find answers and justice. And then the courage of a new — and youngest fire chief in St. Louis County — Fire Chief Terry Merrell showing remarkable bravery and courage during this horrific situation. From nearby and far — first responders, neighbors, families, friends and whole cities came together to support our city and the Hummert family in mourning. Thousands of caring people lining the streets for miles upon miles to show their respect to a cherished young man who made a difference and was lost too soon.
We pray for different things now. We cherish the little things more. We notice things more differently than 8 years ago. We listen to our fire and police sirens more differently. We worry about our first responders when we see them jump into their trucks and or get into their police cars. We are reminded, more often, of how lucky we are to have these brave people…like Ryan to protect us.
Ryan’s memory lives on here in our city. This park in Maplewood is now the Ryan Hummert Memorial Park…and it has become the soul of our city. It was renamed not so much for a fallen firefighter but more for the amazing loving son, brother, nephew and friend that Ryan was to his parents, his sister, his family, his firefighter brothers and sisters and to our proud community of Maplewood. Ryan was a rookie with a youthful spirit and infectious smile. That youthful spirit lives on in this park. On any given day, you can hear children’s laughter, see smiling faces of families gathering and watch sports teams playing…all simply enjoying life…here in this special space of Hummert park. And now we have this beautiful monument as a reminder of our hero Ryan…saluting his bravery, honoring his courage and celebrating his life in this beautiful park named after this very special young man.
We stand here eight years later on another hot summer day. We are now a bit older, a bit grayer, hopefully a bit wiser, and we have different roles in our lives. But after all this time one thing has stayed the same, the bond that we share in our love and respect for a young hero named Ryan Hummert — who changed our lives and our city.
God may have Ryan in his hands, but we all hold Ryan in our hearts forever.