MIKE HENDRICKS:
A girl's dream was a beacon for Edgerton

By MIKE HENDRICKS - Columnist
Date: 11/20/01 22:15

Since the week of Sept. 11, I've been haunted by a poem that hangs on the wall of the Edgerton Library.

"Candles" was written by 11-year-old Alexandra Richards. And Ali's poem, misspellings and all, goes like this:

I've always thought life is a candel or we are candels God lights us when we're born & when the flame go's out its over. And when night comes the candels shine & they look like stars.

(Picture of Ali's angel added to this page by webmaster. It was not included in the original article. tlr)

There is nothing about the poem that I do not like. And although it was not written to honor those killed on Sept. 11, it was two days after the attacks that I happened upon it. And every night since, when I've gazed into the heavens and counted the stars, I've yearned to tell Ali how much her words have meant to me.

But instead I'm telling you because the sky is awful big, and Ali's star is so very, very far away.

"In Memory of Ali Richards, 1987-1998. She loved books."

That is the inscription on the plaque beside the poem in the Edgerton Library. Above it is an arch fitted with a stained-glass depiction of the angel Ali drew to illustrate her verse.

Ali's grandfather lovingly installed the glass work, but why, you may ask, is such a personal memorial in such a public place? Why single out the poem of a child whose candle went out so unexpectedly?

Because it was she who inspired a community to make its dream come true.

You may recall how Edgerton's library once consisted of two book carts in the City Hall. Although it wasn't reflected in news reports at the time, it was Ali Richards who helped fix that.

Some time ago, I told you about Edgerton's struggle with Johnson County officials who thought the town of 1,400 was too small to support its own library.

I reported on how the people of Edgerton refused to take no for an answer, how they sought and received private donations and federal dollars to refurbish an old bank building, then pressured the county library system to establish a branch there, though not without stepping on some toes in the process.

With pluck and determination, Edgerton got its wish. The "Bank of Knowledge," as it's known, opened a year ago. Today it is the centerpiece of town, and normally that would be the end of the story.

Except recently the city received an award from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This fall, City Clerk Rita Moore was called on to make a presentation, explaining how a small community can make the impossible happen.

Only then did I learn the whole story. Moore's presentation, you see, is not only dedicated to Ali Richards, it's called "Ali's Story."

"She was one of the driving forces," said Moore's assistant, Janeice Rawles. "She loved to read. She read and read and read."

A lot of Edgerton residents worked hard to make the library a reality, but Ali wanted it more than most. And when she died of a brain aneurysm two days after Christmas 1998, townsfolk vowed they'd never give up their fight until they realized a dream that was hers and theirs.

Ali is the reason the kids in Edgerton now have a place to read and read and read. And that is why her poem is on the wall.

Like I said, I can't get it out of my mind. Thanks, Ali.