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SALT LAKE CITY — A 9,000 lb. chunk of concrete that was once part of the World Trade Center arrived in Utah Friday with an escort of almost 100 law enforcement officers and private citizens down I-80 from Wyoming.
The sculpture will travel to 20 Utah cities before becoming a permanent part of the Fort Douglas Army Museum's Utah Fallen Warriors Memorial.
The artifact has had a unique journey and has made its way to Utah thanks to Raette Belcher, Executive Director of Utah Fallen Warriors Memorial.
The process began after Belcher met several Utah mothers at a memorial dinner who had lost family members to war.
"When I left that dinner I thought to myself, ‘I need to do something. I need to help them heal,' " Belcher said.
Belcher then learned about Florida artist Sandra Priest who bought 11 pieces of an underground wall that sat under the Twin Towers for 45 years. Priest purchased the concrete to create memorial sculptures that she hoped would be placed around the country.
Belcher contacted Priest to ask if she could buy a piece. Priest's answer was "yes," but the sculpture came with a $185,000 price tag.
"I asked what the dollar amount was, and she told me, and I kind of took a deep breath. And I thought, you know what, you can't put a dollar amount on a life," Belcher said.
Only $35,000 has been raised so far, but for the next three weeks the sculpture will tour 20 Utah cities to give people a chance to see it up close, touch it, photograph it and hopefully donate to the cause.
The stone will then go on permanent display at Utah Fallen Warriors Memorial as a symbol to honor Utah's fallen men and women from all wars.
Suzanne Wagstaff lost her son Matthew, an army helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, 3 years ago. For her, this gesture is important.
"I think that having a piece of that history in Utah for me personally means a lot," Wagstaff said. "It makes me feel like my son's not being forgotten."
It's also an important addition to the Fort Douglas Museum, which chronicles all of Utah's military history.
"Obviously something of this caliber and prominence coming from the World Trade Center is really going add a lot of visibility to what our purpose really is here at the museum," said Robert Voyles, museum director.
Before the sculpture leaves on tour, it will be on display at the west parking lot at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.