Bob and Gary Rice have demonstrated to Lakewood their belief in freedom by donating a plaque marking a station of the Underground Railroad in Lakewood.

Many folks who went to Lakewood schools, especially Harding, know Mr. Rice-who was Harding’s band and orchestra leader for decades. He’s brought the joy of music into the lives of his students and fortunately has passed this gift on to his son, Gary.

The Rice family has also combined their love of music and teaching with a strong practice of their faith at Lakewood United Methodist Church. That faith, as the Rices practice it, is grounded in the belief of equality of all people.

Gary and Bob thought it was especially important to recognize Lakewood’s strategic importance in the operation of the Underground Railroad which was the pathway out of slavery before the American Civil War.

Slaves that made their way up from the South could board boats that would take them across Lake Erie into Canada where they would be free human beings. Summit Avenue in Lakewood was one of the embarkation points.

To commemorate that part of our history and remind us of its importance, the Rice’s donated a stone plaque, which is embedded in the walkway of the new Lakefront Promenade.

One of the Rices favorite ministers, the Reverend Howard Pippin provided the invocation. Mayor Thomas George recounted history of the time and offered the City’s thanks.

In a special ceremony, Reverend Pippin’s daughter, Eleanor, who was baptized in Lake Erie, symbolically buried, in a hidden location, a set of shackles that once enslaved a person. The Rice’s faith through their worship reminds us and educates young Eleanor how important essential human dignity is. Ending the ceremony, Gary, accompanying on guitar, led the gathering in a rendition of “Michael Row the Boat Ashore.”