Darlington Raceway president Kerry Tharp (right) presents Allison Carraway with a $5,000 donation to help build a memorial park for fallen police officers. Photo by Samantha Lyles
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
The Darlington public park planned to memorialize Sgt. Terrence Carraway and all of his fellow law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty received another boost last week as Darlington Raceway donated $5,000 to the cause.
“On Oct. 3, 2018, this community was rocked by a terrible tragedy over in Florence. Seven police officers were shot, two lost their lives in the line of duty,” said Darlington Raceway president Kerry Tharp. “One of those was Darlington’s own Terrence Carraway.”
Tharp said that even though he never met Terrence, he’s heard so many stories about the man that he feels as though he knew him. To honor Carraway and all law enforcement officers who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice, Darlington Raceway agreed to stage a 5K race at the track, with proceeds going to the registered non-profit Terrence Carraway Foundation to build a park in their memory.
The Nov. 1 race drew over 100 participants who ran or walked around “The Track Too Tough To Tame” under the lights.
Darlington mayor-elect Curtis Boyd purchased the park site at South Main Street and D Avenue and donated its use to the non-profit Terrence F. Carraway Foundation. The land has been cleared of trees and heavy equipment was onsite laying drainage pipes on Dec. 18 during the check presentation.
Plans for the park include a monument naming all fallen South Carolina officers and K-9 dogs, a statue of Terrence Carraway, a basketball court, and a picnic area.
Tax-deductible donations for the park are being collected through the Pee Dee Fraternal Order of Police.
“Thank you on behalf of the foundation. It is our mission to complete this project, which is the South Carolina Fallen Officers Memorial, because that’s the least that we can do to pay homage to my husband…and to pay tribute to all of the officers that have laid down their lives in the line of duty,” said Allison Carraway, Terrence’s widow. “First responders are phenomenal people, and we don’t give them enough credit for what they do. When we run away from a tragedy or a traumatic experience, they run to (it).”
To learn more about donating to the Terrence F. Carraway Foundation, www.peedeefop.org
