Memorial dedicated to Eve Carson’s life still stands 6 years later

When the tragedy of Eve Carson’s death shook Chapel Hill and the surrounding community in 2008, people were moved to action, including one Durham business owner.

Six years ago today, UNC Student Body President Eve Carson was kidnapped and killed in Chapel Hill.

In the days following, news of the murder was inescapable. Francis Vega — who owned Vega Metals, a metalwork studio and gallery in downtown Durham — was heartbroken but inspired to act.

Cindy Vega, Francis’ wife who took ownership of the company after Francis died from cancer in April, and Neal Carlton, Vega Metals’ co-founder and longtime friend, recalled how affected Francis was by the tragedy.

“I remember him saying, ‘We have to do something,”’ Carlton said.

“He said, ‘Let’s just take a bench, a butterfly bench, and take it over to the campus,’” Vega said.

The butterfly bench, which was produced by Vega Metals’ sub-company, Cricket Forge, is Francis’ original design.

Cindy Vega said the bench has become the memorial piece that seems to resonate most with people, and that the butterfly has always symbolized renewal, rebirth and freedom.

Francis insisted they drop off the bench on UNC’s campus anonymously, saying he didn’t want to get caught up in University red tape.

The bench was given a Carolina blue finish and a brass plaque dedicating it to Carson.

Around 9 a.m. the morning after it was completed, Carlton and Willie McDonald, Vega Metals’ main delivery worker, drove the bench to campus.

“I said, let’s see how quickly we can do this,” Carlton said.

As Carlton and McDonald unloaded the 4-foot tall, 4-foot wide, 200-pound bench at an existing memorial site behind the Campus Y, a passerby commented on its beauty.

“It was exciting, adrenaline was flowing,” Carlton said. “It was heartbreaking in a way, too, to drop the piece off there.”

Such items are not usually allowed to remain, but then-Chancellor James Moeser said the bench would stay.

“People are always real paranoid about benches being out and people vandalizing them, but we just felt like this was a bench that was going to be really protected just out of sheer respect for Eve,” Vega said. “No one’s come after us and tried to arrest us.”

In the days following Eve Carson’s murder, Vega remembers Francis kept talking about good versus evil. To him, Eve represented everything good — someone who gave so much of herself to others.

Marine sciences professor Marc Alperin, a friend of Francis’, watched as the bench became a focal point for grieving students and faculty.

“It became a spontaneous memorial,” he said.

Carlton said the donation of the bench was not something he and Francis told many people about, but he brought it up in a eulogy at Francis’ memorial service.

“I think he would be proud of it, but he didn’t do it for that,” he said.

Click here to open the Daily Tar Heel for Friday, March 7, 2008 — an issue entirely dedicated to Eve Carson.

city@dailytarheel.com