Providence Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
Family and friends of the victims view the memorial plaque after a ceremony dedication of the Warwick Station Nightclub Memorial, Saturday, that serves as a remembrance to the ten victims who were Warwick residents and the 100 who died in the 2003 fire.
WARWICK, R.I. -- Family members and friends of the 100 people who died in the 2003 Station Nightclub Fire gathered Saturday morning one town away with firefighters, police and dignitaries for the unveiling of a memorial plaque to the dead, injured and first-responders.
Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and former Governor Donald Carcieri were among those who spoke at the ceremony.
The black granite plaque stands at the head of a circular plaza with matching granite benches and ornamental trees in the city's Apponaug circle, a satellite memorial to the tragic fire at a roadhouse nightclub in West Warwick. Long-delayed plans for a memorial at the fire site are now underway.
Construction of the Warwick memorial was spearheaded by Jody King, founder and chairman of the Warwick Station Nightclub Memorial Fund and brother of Tracy King, one of 10 Warwick residents who died in the fire.
The black granite memorial unveiled Saturday bears the names and photos of 9 of the 10 Warwick residents who died in the fire. A heart has been carved in the space reserved for a 10th Warwick resident lost in the fire. The victim's mother declined the offer to include her daughter on the plaque, King said, but the space is being held in case she changes her mind.