The Dr. Laurel Blair Salton Clark Memorial Fountain was completed this month with the addition of granite informational signs and bronze etched lettering.The memorial, located Downtown on Sam Johnson Parkway [in Racine, Wisconsin], honors local fallen astronaut Navy Capt. Laurel Salton Clark. She died in the Feb. 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia explosion.
The memorial's completion was marked on May 2 by the installation of two black granite information signs detailing Clark’s life and the Columbia crash. Bronze letters were also added around the memorial to provide the fountain name and highlights of Clark’s life.
Builders completed a sundial and instructions to view Clark’s favorite constellation, Orion, in September and added a donor plaque in March, according to Sue Siegert, chairwoman of the Dr. Laurel Clark Memorial Fountain Committee.
Clark's mother, Marge Brown and other family members will host an informal viewing of the memorial at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 31. The fountain is turned on for the summer months and open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.