Hundreds attend official dedication ceremony for Hampton Memorial Park

By Jason Evans

Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — A large crowd gathered Monday morning to officially dedicate the Capt. Kimberly Hampton Memorial Park on the grounds of the Hampton Memorial Library in Easley.

Kimberly’s parents, Ann and Dale Hampton, had a front-row seat at the ceremony and were given a standing ovation by the 500-strong crowd.

“Today we honor, ladies and gentlemen, the living,” said Michael Cogdill, the event’s emcee. “Ann and Dale, thank you. Thank you for what you live with. Thank you for what this great country lives without. This great United States of America lives without the intellect of Kimberly Hampton, without the valor of Kimberly Hampton.”

But the country does not live without her legacy, he said.

Veterans, Gold Star and Blue Star families were recognized at the start of the program, including several veterans who served with Kimberly, a U.S. Army pilot who died when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq on Jan. 2, 2004.

A number of people who had a hand in the park’s creation at the government level were recognized

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