10 years laterMatthew Shepard remembered

The Laramie Boomerang reports on Laramie, WY and the University of Wyoming, remembering Matthew Shepard:

On a sunny fall day in Laramie, it’s too easy to forget that nearly 10 years ago the life of Matthew Shepard ended brutally, tied to a desolate fence outside of town. No one who had never met him will get the chance. No one who never heard his voice will know what it sounded like. And for those who knew, it’s important that the community of Laramie never forget what tragic consequences bubble forth out of ignorance and intolerance.

These are the things that people will hopefully think about when they take a seat on the bench with his name on it at Quealy Plaza that was dedicated in his memory Saturday morning.

Under the close eye of the media with police officers idling near the outer circle of the crowd that gathered that day, University of Wyoming President Tom Buchanan and Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mom, spoke about the past and the future of that fatal event that shocked not only this small town on the plains, but the state and nation as well.

Read it here.