What is the appropriate way to honor Ron Anderson’s memory?

In the week before he died, Ron Anderson spent hours under the August sun in the heat of days that reached highs of 96 degrees pulling weeds and vines from the shrubs in Heritage Park.

At the time it was happening, it seemed odd. Why would this man, his body ravaged by cancer that kept moving faster than the chemotherapy and radiation designed to fight it, be in a public park weeding?

But that was Ron.

He labored in Heritage Park, just across Seventh Street from his home, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. And when he wasn’t pulling the weeds, he would stretch out on the brick and concrete walls, looking for relief from the pain the cancer was causing in his back. There were times, his wife, Debbie, would find him sitting under the shade in the Historic District park.

He went into Midtown Medical Center on that Friday, was transferred to Columbus Hospice House on Monday night and by the early hours of Wednesday morning he was gone at the age of 64.

A nearly two-year struggle with inoperable Stage 4 pancreatic cancer ended just that quick.

So, why am I sharing this story today, more than five weeks after Ron’s death? The reason is simple, I want to start a civic discussion on how this community can best honor our friend Ron’s memory. As an arts educator, Ron touched thousands of local kids through his two decades of work at the Springer Theatre Academy. The outpouring in the wake of his death was hard to describe.

From funeral home owners to preachers to ordinary folks in our community, Ron’s death and the celebration of his life was different in many ways.

Why am I telling this deeply personal story about Ron and his time in Heritage Park now? That is simple, too. There are discussions about what would be a proper and public way to honor Ron’s life.

My thought, is something — and I am not sure what — in Heritage Park would be appropriate. Ron spent a lot of time in that park. If you look at his Facebook page, the cover photo is an early-morning picture he took inside Heritage Park.

Some would suggest that the Springer Opera House is the right place for a lasting tribute to Ron. As long as that historic structure stands and actors grace its stages, Ron will be remembered because he taught the generation that will teach, perform and support the theater. And they will teach the next generation; and that generation will teach the next one. And they will share stories and life lessons from Ron.

In the wake of his death, the Springer has received a number of contributions, large and small, to Ron’s memory, said Producing Artistic Director Paul Pierce. At the end of each day in the Theatre Academy, Anderson would call the students together for Salutations, a time to honor the past, acknowledge the present and salute the future. The Springer has created a Salutations Fund, which is an endowment to protect and strengthen the Springer forever, Pierce said.

“We have thought about how to honor him quite a bit here,” Pierce said. “But we don’t want to do anything that will capitalize on his death.”

What Ron planted in the Springer will live and grow for many, many years.

That is why I think Heritage Park is the right place to honor his legacy of teaching, caring and living life in a manner that showed others the way.

The park tells the history of our city. In thoughtful and interactive ways its shows the role the river, the textile mills, the architecture, red brick, Coca-Cola and the old families played in our community.

I would suggest that the heritage of Columbus is also forged in the impact ordinary people like Ron Anderson had.

Last week, I bounced my idea off First Baptist Church Pastor Jimmy Elder, a close friend of Ron’s. He said now is the right time to start thinking about a way to honor Ron’s legacy.

“Look at what Ron did, he created safe places,” Elder said. “But he also tended to the ground he stood on.”

Weeding a city park in the days before his death, is a real and tangible example of that, Elder said.

“I think when we honor Ron we need to find something that people don’t expect,” Elder said.

He even proposed a statute of Anderson weeding inside Heritage Park.

“You could have a large statue of him standing in front of the Springer, but that would be something people expect,” Elder said. “You would not expect to see a statue of him weeding.”

As we all miss Ron, it feels like the right time to pull some weeds and start a discussion.

This story was originally published October 1, 2016 at 9:29 PM with the headline "What is the appropriate way to honor Ron Anderson’s memory?."