Enterprise High School in Redding dedicates memorial for 5 students who died in crash

About 100 friends, classmates, relatives and supporters of five Enterprise High School cheerleaders who died in a car crash in 1968 gathered at the campus Sunday night to officially dedicate a new memorial honoring the teenagers' lives.

The group of alumni and others who raised funds and otherwise made the new memorial possible also vowed to keep the five cheerleaders in current students' memories.

Every Sept. 28 — the anniversary of the 1968 crash — the Enterprise student body holds a moment of silence and a rose is placed on each girl's memorial plaque.

During Sunday evening's memorial dedication ceremony, current Enterprise cheerleaders in full team dress gave single yellow roses to family members of the girls who died in 1968.

More: Enterprise High School in Redding unveils memorial for 5 students who died in crash

In the years since the tragedy that so deeply moved the Redding community, a group of supporters has raised money for the revitalized memorial , along with awarding scholarships in the cheerleaders' memory and creating programs to encourage safe driving practices among students.

The activities "would be an annual reminder not just of that tragic day, but of our desire to find a silver lining to it," said alumni Steve Mains.

People can also pay for memorial bricks used in the memorial's landscaping, or support the school's safe driving education programs, both through the school's "Remember the 5" at rememberthe5.org , part of the Enterprise Parent Teacher Student Association.

Future plans for the school's courtyard where the newly-dedicated concrete, stone and metal memorial sits include adding landscaping and painted murals to further beautiful the space.

At the Sept. 29 dedication, Enterprise Principal Ryan Johnson said the loss of the five 17-year-olds — "vibrant young women full of promise" who had a deep impact on the school and their classmates — as "a heartbreaking tragedy."

"The loss of these five girls left a wound in the heart of the school that even, almost 60 years later, is so palpable I can feel it when I talk to their classmates, their family members, anyone that knows anything about it or experienced it in any way," said Johnson.

The five cheerleaders "were not just students, they were integral parts of our community. They walked the halls with enthusiam, energy and kindness. Their presence enriched Enterprise High School in many ways that can't be described adequately. That's why we're here, is to ensure that that memory never fades," he said.

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The hour-long ceremony, held in a quiet interior courtyard at the Redding school, included a brief phone call greeting from Bill Roberts, the 99-year-old grandfather of one of the teenagers, Shelley Roberts, from his home in Eugene, Oregon.

Some in the audience dabbed at their eyes while viewing a 10-minute video honoring the five cheerleaders and their families that was created by the rememberthe5.org group.

"It turned out well. I am pleased," said Carol Maddox, the widow of the Donna Maddox's brother, at the ceremony's end.

Michele Chandler is local managing editor of the Redding Record Searchlight. She can be reached at 530-338-7753. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Enterprise High School in Redding dedicates memorial for 5 students who died in crash