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Deborah Kornegay Memorial Fountain
Rocky Mount
View complete article and references at Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina at: https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/347

Description: This monument is an allegorical sculpture presenting the figure of "Charity" cast in bronze atop a water fountain. The fountain is composed of bronze and terra cotta and is placed in a wishing well basin that captures the cascade of water. Charity holds a small pot with a vulnerable plant in her left hand as she cares for it, carefully pouring water onto it from a vessel in her right hand. The fountain is situated in a corner against the backdrop of a terracotta surround against old brickwork.

Inscription:
DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE OTHERS DO UNTO YOU.

Dedication date: December 2012

Creator: Jason Arkles, Sculptor

Materials & Techniques: Bronze, terracotta

Sponsor: The monument was funded by a variety of charitable contributions.

Unveiling & Dedication: The monument was dedicated in the late fall of 2012.

Subject notes: The monument is dedicated to the memory of Deborah Kornegay who was stabbed to death on October 18, 2007 at the Lakeside Baptist Church in Rocky Mount while preparing meals for the Meals on Wheels program. She was the director of Rocky Mount's Meals on Wheels, secretary of the Men's Christian Home in Rocky Mount, and a prominent community volunteer. Ms. Kornegay was also an artist and potter. She and another volunteer were apparently engaged in an effort to help the killer find a homeless shelter at the time of the attack.

The monument, representing the allegorical figure of Charity, was designed to reflect Kornegay's service to others. A wishing well below the fountain collects charitable donations.

Location: The monument is installed inside the Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences at 270 Gay Street in Rocky Mount. The Imperial Centre is a community cultural center housed in a complex which was once the site occupied by the Braswell Memorial Library and the Imperial Tobacco Company. It includes arts programming and education, a museum and science center for children, and theater programming.

Landscape: The monument sits in an alcove inside the building, framed by old brickwork on the wall behind the installation and live plants placed near the fountain.

City: Rocky Mount

County: Nash

Subjects: Personal Monuments,Tragedy

Latitude: 
35.94718
Longitude: 
-77.7961
Subjects: 
Origin - location: