Holland Chauncey Gregg IV will forever live on in his family's hearts and minds. And now, thanks to a $10,000 donation made in his memory by his parents, thousands of future Skaneateles students will also come to know the boy who once roamed Skaneateles High School's halls.
His parents, Skaneateles residents Holland Gregg III and Patience Brewster, have decided to contribute to the courtyard now being constructed in between the new wings of the high school and middle school.
The donation will be made in two $5,000 installments, one this year and one in 2008.
“We just thought it would be nice to do something that would be a remembrance of our son,” said Holland Gregg III. “He fought an incredible battle. He was by far the most amazing person I've ever known.”
That battle was against Hodgkin's Disease, a form of lymphatic cancer. Gregg, a 1997 SHS graduate and tennis standout, was diagnosed with the disease in 2002.
Three years, three bone marrow transplants and countless chemotherapy sessions later, he succumbed to the illness, but he and his family were positive and upbeat to the end, his father recalled.
“He fought it incredibly nobly,” said Holland Gregg III. “He never, till the very last minute, thought that we were going to lose this fight.”
The money donated in Gregg's name will be used toward the northwest portion of the courtyard, a mostly student-run project that broke ground in mid-2006.
Once just a graveled empty space, the 150-by-50 feet area is gradually becoming the area that its organizers have envisioned for three years now.
As soon as the snow melts, students will again get to work on the project, which is slated to include a butterfly garden, two sitting areas, sculpture, perennial garden and some type of water feature.
The latter - be it a stream or a pond - will definitely be a part of the area that will honor Gregg, who loved Skaneateles Lake and was always near the water whenever possible.
“What we want to do is create a serene, pleasant, calm area,” said Rick Garrett, advisor to the high school's environmental club, which is heading up the courtyard.
That section of the courtyard will feature a permanent, individual plaque near a planting, and Garrett would also like to see the inclusion of a statement about Gregg. He and his students will sit down with Gregg's parents later this month to discuss the design plans for that area.
“It would be a real nice gesture to leave a physical mark on this school as well as an emotional one,” environmental club president Andrew Middleton said of Gregg. “Certainly it's (the donation) going to open up a lot of doors. It's going to relieve a lot of restrictions we would have had.”
With this new, large donation, project organizers have received or are scheduled to receive a total of $20,000 from the community and school, much of which was a direct result of student fundraising, Garrett said.
Though many of the details of exactly how Gregg will be remembered in the courtyard aren't yet nailed down, Holland Gregg III is looking forward to allowing SHS students to create a place of comfort, fun and relaxation in his son's memory.
Gregg loved his time in Skaneateles, his father recalled, and he touched many lives in the community. More than 1,000 people attended the memorial mass held at St. Mary's of the Lake Church shortly after his death, he said.
At SHS, Gregg was captain of the varsity tennis team and an “A” student.
He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2001 with a major in mechanical engineering.
While living in San Diego, he opened and managed Patience Brewster Cards' West Coast office.
He always welcomed friends from his hometown.
After having several cysts misdiagnosed, doctors told Gregg that he had Hodgkin's Disease in 2002.
“It was one of the most aggressive cases any doctor had seen,” Holland Gregg III recalled.
Gregg's parents and his sister, Marietta Brewster Gregg, have since become active contributors to, and advocates for, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Brewster, a nationally known artist, designs a Christmas ornament every year for Department 56, and the proceeds go toward the society.
She and her husband also plan to set up a fund within the society in Gregg's name.
The donation will be made in two $5,000 installments, one this year and one in 2008.
“We just thought it would be nice to do something that would be a remembrance of our son,” said Holland Gregg III. “He fought an incredible battle. He was by far the most amazing person I've ever known.”
That battle was against Hodgkin's Disease, a form of lymphatic cancer. Gregg, a 1997 SHS graduate and tennis standout, was diagnosed with the disease in 2002.
Three years, three bone marrow transplants and countless chemotherapy sessions later, he succumbed to the illness, but he and his family were positive and upbeat to the end, his father recalled.
“He fought it incredibly nobly,” said Holland Gregg III. “He never, till the very last minute, thought that we were going to lose this fight.”
The money donated in Gregg's name will be used toward the northwest portion of the courtyard, a mostly student-run project that broke ground in mid-2006.
Once just a graveled empty space, the 150-by-50 feet area is gradually becoming the area that its organizers have envisioned for three years now.
As soon as the snow melts, students will again get to work on the project, which is slated to include a butterfly garden, two sitting areas, sculpture, perennial garden and some type of water feature.
The latter - be it a stream or a pond - will definitely be a part of the area that will honor Gregg, who loved Skaneateles Lake and was always near the water whenever possible.
“What we want to do is create a serene, pleasant, calm area,” said Rick Garrett, advisor to the high school's environmental club, which is heading up the courtyard.
That section of the courtyard will feature a permanent, individual plaque near a planting, and Garrett would also like to see the inclusion of a statement about Gregg. He and his students will sit down with Gregg's parents later this month to discuss the design plans for that area.
“It would be a real nice gesture to leave a physical mark on this school as well as an emotional one,” environmental club president Andrew Middleton said of Gregg. “Certainly it's (the donation) going to open up a lot of doors. It's going to relieve a lot of restrictions we would have had.”
With this new, large donation, project organizers have received or are scheduled to receive a total of $20,000 from the community and school, much of which was a direct result of student fundraising, Garrett said.
Though many of the details of exactly how Gregg will be remembered in the courtyard aren't yet nailed down, Holland Gregg III is looking forward to allowing SHS students to create a place of comfort, fun and relaxation in his son's memory.
Gregg loved his time in Skaneateles, his father recalled, and he touched many lives in the community. More than 1,000 people attended the memorial mass held at St. Mary's of the Lake Church shortly after his death, he said.
At SHS, Gregg was captain of the varsity tennis team and an “A” student.
He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2001 with a major in mechanical engineering.
While living in San Diego, he opened and managed Patience Brewster Cards' West Coast office.
He always welcomed friends from his hometown.
After having several cysts misdiagnosed, doctors told Gregg that he had Hodgkin's Disease in 2002.
“It was one of the most aggressive cases any doctor had seen,” Holland Gregg III recalled.
Gregg's parents and his sister, Marietta Brewster Gregg, have since become active contributors to, and advocates for, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Brewster, a nationally known artist, designs a Christmas ornament every year for Department 56, and the proceeds go toward the society.
She and her husband also plan to set up a fund within the society in Gregg's name.
