Explore a Decade of Dave Cullen's Research
Columbine Memorial
The permanent Columbine memorial took eight years to design, fund and construct. It was dedicated September 21, 2007, with a heartbreaking ceremony that had me in tears. It is free and open to the public year-round.
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About the memorial
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Location: The memorial sits along the south edge of Clement park, several hundred yards west of the school. If your driving, it's easiest to enter Clement Park via Pierce St., near the southeast corner of the park, south of W. Bowles Ave. (It's not actually in Littleton, but the post office assigns that as the town name, so use this address to plug into your map app for Clement Park: 7306 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton, Colorado.) It's about 40 minutes southwest of downtown Denver.
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photos
I have gathered three groups of photos below:
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The Columbine Memorial in 2009.
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The dedication ceremony in 2007.
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A smaller, private memorial at Olinger Cemetery.
Columbine Memorial 2009
These are screen captures from the Columbine intro video shot for my book by filmmaker Andrew Kemler just before sunset, on a blustery day, March 6, 2009. Andrew is quite talented, and I thought the pictures were beautiful, so I'd like to share them here. Some include me, as he was trying to capture me and the memorial, so I only have a few angles without me.
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The first two might appear air-brushed, or retouched, but they are not.
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The passage I'm reading in that last frame is the epigraph of the book. President Bill Clinton recited the line at the ground-breaking ceremony for the memorial in 2006, dedicating it to "these magnificent Columbine families." I tear up every time I remember:
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The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.
— Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
Dedication Ceremony 2007
I took these two photos during the memorial dedication ceremony, immediately after two hundred doves were released. (First thirteen were released, symbolizing the twelve students and one teacher Eric and Dylan killed. Then two hundred were released, an arbitrary number to symbolize everyone.)
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I'm not much of a photographer, and it took me by surprise, so this is what I happened to catch. This was an emotional day, and it means a great deal to me. I have never shared these before, but I based the final scene in my book off them.
Olinger Cemetery Memorial
These are also screen captures from my book trailer video (which you can watch, below). These frames were filmed the morning of the day we filmed the Columbine memorial up top. Some of the victims are buried at this cemetery. Beautiful crosses were erected there to each of the thirteen.
I wish I had more photos, without me in them, but this is all I have. I thought people who could not make it to Colorado might appreciate them. People continue to leave flowers, flags, etc., as you can see. This was an ordinary day in early March 2009.
