Tribute was paid this weekend to two former Scouts by the city of Demorest. A small crowd gathered Saturday at the Brent Lee Moore Memorial Field behind city hall. The gathering of mostly family and friends was for a dual ceremony honoring the lives of the field’s namesake and Travis Roseman.
City leaders rededicated the ballfield to young Brent Moore’s memory. They also dedicated a water fountain at the site in honor of Roseman, who built it for his Eagle Scout project in 1985.
Significance of the Ceremony
Demorest Mayor Jerry Harkness acknowledged the somber significance of the ceremony’s timing. This year marks thirty years since Moore’s life was tragically taken and twenty years since Roseman passed. Demorest City Councilman Shawn Allen came up with the idea to honor them while overseeing repairs at Moore Field.
The former schoolyard is now a city park. A granite monument bearing Moore’s name still greets visitors. It was dedicated in 1995, two years after the young Cub Scout was killed in a jet ski accident on Lake Burton. The accident devastated his family and shocked and saddened the entire community.
Gone too soon
Brent Lee Moore died on July 4, 1993, just thirteen days shy of his eighth birthday.
“It’s just wonderful to know that our son is being remembered and that this field won’t lose its impact and its significance,” Moore’s mother, Jill Hayes, told Now Habersham.
Hayes teared up at the tribute, no doubt recalling how, three decades earlier, she and her family stood in that same place, still reeling from the sudden and tragic loss of her son.
She says faith has gotten them through it all, and the love of a blended family, which includes Brent’s sister Candace and five half-brothers and a step-brother.
Jill and her husband, David Hayes, joined Brent’s father and stepmother, Brad and Tonya Moore, at the Nov. 18 ceremony. Dozens of family and friends joined them, along with Alice Roseman, who was there in remembrance of her son.
Travis Roseman enlisted in the Navy after graduating from Habersham Central High School in 1985. He retired after six years in the service and went to work for the Tennessee Valley Authority. Roseman and his family were living in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, when he was tragically killed in a car wreck in 2003.
He was 35.
Roseman was the first Boy Scout from Demorest Troop 660 to earn his Eagle Scout badge. The fountain at Moore Field was part of that achievement.
Upon learning the history of what went into building that fountain, Councilman Allen made it his mission to restore and preserve it to keep Roseman’s legacy and memory alive.
‘The greatest thing you could have done’
While repairing the water lines, city crews found the remnants of a Boy Scout Handbook inside the fountain. Although much of the book had disintegrated over the past 33 years, part of its cover was still intact. Allen framed what was left of the handbook alongside a photo of the water fountain with its newly installed plaque. He presented the keepsake to Roseman’s mom during the ceremony.
“I think that’s even more amazing, but I am not surprised at him,” she said, referring to the handbook. “He thought of things like that.” Clearly pleased and grateful, Alice Roseman added, “I just think it’s the greatest thing you could’ve done for him.”
Brad Moore expressed a similar sentiment about the tribute to his son.
“For me, I just appreciate the community remembering him. I met people today that I didn’t even know knew Brent, even at a young age. It’s very special that he is remembered.”
This article has been edited for clarity
