On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break, 40 members of the GPS Class of 2008 and sixty other friends of the Griffin and Banks families gathered in and around the colorful booths of Palmer’s Place, a raised seating area that is a special feature of the newly remodeled GPS Dining Room. The purpose of the meaningful event was to honor the memory of Palmer Griffin ’08, who died in the spring of 2007 after a courageous battle with leukemia.

Palmer’s grandparents, Woody and Marjorie Banks, initiated the project with a generous seed gift, and other families responded to name the area in memory of this extraordinary young woman. At the dedication, guests crowded around three rustically framed collages to view photos of Palmer, her family, and many friends.

Faculty member Jane Henegar dedicated the area with a memorable prayer that referred to Palmer as someone who “changed our community by encouraging us to be more understanding of others, to connect.” The event was a wonderful opportunity, in Jane’s words, “to honor her legacy in the long history of our school.”

Palmer’s soccer coach, Will Kesler, closed the event, saying, “Palmer brought us together on so many occasions and reminded us to love people more than activities and things. Palmer’s Place will always be the hub of activity and chatter; a center for socializing and interacting that aptly honors her memory.”