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Courthouse tree dedicated to the
memory of Robert Rawlins
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[December 23, 2024]
If you have been in the lobby of the courthouse this
Christmas season, or last Christmas season, you could not have
missed the massive Christmas tree that is on display there. It turns
out this tree has a special story behind it, one that we here at LDN
wanted to share before the end of the Christmas season.
At the base of the tree is a plaque that states the
tree is a memorial tree to honor Robert Rawlins, a former security
guard at the Courthouse. Mike Robinson, a current security guard,
shared a bit about Rawlins and how he knew him. Rawlins worked
security at the Courthouse from 2014 until 2023. Tragically, Rawlins
suffered from a heart attack while on the job and lost his life.
Robinson worked with Rawlins for the last two and a half years that
Rawlins worked there.
According to Robinson, Rawlins was a “stickler for policy.” He would
be no-nonsense in one moment, and then one of the most friendly,
outgoing, and endearing people in the next. Rawlins, Robinson, and
Frank Buckles would put a Christmas tree up each year. It would take
them about a week to do, as they would have to work on it in parts
between the regular responsibilities of their job. Robinson stated
that Rawlins, like with policy, was a stickler for how the tree was
decorated too.
Buckles was looking to sell the tree that is in the Courthouse now,
as he previously owned it and no longer had room for such a large
tree. Robinson and Rawlins decided they were going to go in together
and buy it from Buckles to put up in the Courthouse each year.
Rawlins passed before the tree could be bought, however. Robinson
decided to make the purchase himself and dedicate the tree in memory
of Rawlins. This is the second year the memorial tree has been put
up.
Shannon Kelly, who also works security at the
Courthouse, made small, circle ornaments with the names of
Courthouse employees and Logan County departments on them. This
ranges from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office to Judge Jonathan
Wright.
If you get a chance before it is taken down, you might like to make
a trip into the Courthouse to see the tree. It truly is a sight to
behold.
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[Matt Boutcher]
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