Welcome back to the New England on a Pedestal podcast with me, Doug Farquharson. This episode will be one of our new mini-episodes where we cut to the chase and do a quick dive into one local work and its particular history. I hope you enjoy it!
Today we find ourselves in Wayland, Massachusetts. It is a town of approximately 14,000 people nowadays and is about 16 square miles in size. It is west of Boston and borders several other suburban communities such as Natick, Framingham, Weston, Lincoln, and Sudbury. It has always been viewed as a wealthy area with a good school system and has been called home by a number of local and national celebrities, musicians, and professional athletes.
Near the intersection of Route 30 and Route 27 we find Hannah Williams Park maintained by the Recreation Department. Drive by too quickly and you may miss the statue we’ve come to see. Set back a hundred feet or so from the roadway, back by some benches and near a fun playground is Nancy Schon’s Empty Sled and Dog. Now if the artist’s name sounds familiar to any of you Pedestal Peeps, it could be because the world famous Make Way for Ducklings statue in Boston’s Public Garden is one of her pieces as well. The piece we are talking about today also looks like a fun subject that would perhaps entice children to climb on and play around. However, unlike the Ducklings, the Empty Sled and Dog are not based on a children’s book, but rather are a reminder of a dark and disturbing time in Wayland.
On October 9th, 1985 just weeks after Andy and Barbara Pryor moved their family to Massachusetts, their nine year old daughter, Sarah went missing while on an after school walk in their Wayland neighborhood. As you can imagine, it was in all the local news. Days went by. Weeks went by. Months went by. Years went by. Leads were followed. Possible sightings were investigated. Sarah wasn’t found. During the investigation, a month or so in, a paroled murderer from Texas was linked through circumstantial evidence to her disappearance. He had attempted to abduct another young girl from a nearby neighborhood and had been placed near to where it was believed young Sarah had disappeared. He was returned to Texas in 1986 on a parole violation to serve out the remainder of his original life sentence. Sarah’s family and friends continually travel to Texas to fight against his being released on parole again.
Thirteen years after she disappeared, a bone fragment was found and identified using advanced DNA technology. On what would have been her twenty-second birthday, January 13th 1998, Sarah was laid to rest. Her mother, Barbara has described herself as “an ordinary woman in extraordinary circumstances.” She has dedicated her life as an advocate for victims of violence and for missing and exploited children. She became very active in politics and law making, and has given innumerable talks and lectures.
On Nancy Schon’s website there is a description of the Sarah Pryor Memorial. In part it reads “Her mother came to my studio asking me to create a memorial to her daughter, having now accepted that Sarah would never return. I asked her to tell me about Sarah. She told me how much Sarah loved to go sledding with her Border Collie Katie. However, when she would call her into the house for lunch, Sarah would say “What if the sun comes out and melts all the snow?” The sculpture is a living, interactive memorial. It captures Sarah’s spirit and celebrates the joy of children.”
I was in my early 20s and living in Boston when Sarah went missing and didn’t actually know much about the area it happened in even though it was only maybe 15 miles west of my home in the city. The following year I started spending a lot of time in a neighboring town. I clearly remember thinking how scary of a situation it must be for families in the area. I remember hearing updates from time to time and wondering if the perpetrator would ever be caught. I remember thinking when some remains were identified that at least there’d be some closure for the family. I remember suddenly walking past her grave when I was at a cemetery in Wayland many years ago after the services for a coworker and friend of mine. And more recently, I drove past this park and noticed the statue for the first time. I thought it was fun and kind of cool and inviting. It wasn’t until I did a little research that I figured out it was the Sarah Pryor Memorial. And it immediately brought back to mind all the feelings from across all those years. I hope it has brought some sense of Peace to her family.
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Join us next episode when we venture to another New England town and dig into some local history there. Until next time, be safe, be well, be kind and keep discovering. Thanks for listening!
