By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – A memorial that is being created at Veterans Memorial Park, Schanck Street, Freehold Borough, to honor a young man is nearing completion.
The memorial will be dedicated to the memory of Waleed Warren, 17, who died in January during his junior year at Freehold High School.
The project was proposed by Zoe Frantzeskakis, a senior at Freehold High School. Her suggested design for the memorial included a crepe myrtle tree which will grow to a height of about 10 feet. The tree will be surrounded by roses, azaleas and rhododendron.
Zoe explained her plan for the memorial to members of the Borough Council during a meeting in mid-September. Municipal officials subsequently approved the project and work began at the park.
By Oct. 31, the memorial was substantially completed, according to Zoe. The final tasks involve putting the project’s perimeter edging in place and ordering and installing two memorial plaques.
“We feel that (Waleed’s) family should have the main say on what should be on the plaques,” Zoe said. “The trees and plants (at the memorial) are deer-resistant and have been chosen to make sure that during all seasons of the year the memorial looks appealing.”
The young woman said much of the inspiration for the memorial came from seeing students mourn the death of their friend.
“Although I was not one of Waleed’s close friends, many of my friends were close with him, including my brother,” Zoe said. “This project was a reason to get everyone together. The hope (was) for his friends, classmates, teammates and peers to unite as one and use this memorial as closure.
“Waleed’s passing was something that was hard to fathom, but my hope for the project was to make something beautiful out of such a terrible situation.
“I hope that through the efforts of myself and the other students at Freehold, we can create a space in one of Waleed’s favorite locations where his friends and family can honor his memory,” she said.
