SALISBURY — When longtime Salisbury resident Reid Leonard died on Nov. 15, 2023, there was still plenty left on his plate that he never got to do. 

Luckily, his friends and family have decided to carry on with one of his last requests.

Having been the mastermind behind the City Park’s Patriots Flag Concourse to commemorate military veterans, one of Reid’s last passions he was tinkering with was an “Arch of Freedom” to be constructed right next to the concourse near the corner of North Jackson and West Miller streets. 

Reid was a Rotary Club member for 73 years in addition to being on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and those organizations have been vital in getting the arch project off the ground. 

At its April 2 meeting, the Salisbury City Council officially approved of the arch’s installation. The project’s designer, and Reid’s friend, Stephen Brown, was the one who led the presentation to council to outline what would be occurring over the next several months. 

“When daddy passed away, it was like, we can’t let this go. We got to keep it going,” Beverly, Reid’s daughter, said. “He knew, even when he died, he knew it was going to happen. That makes us feel really good. He died very peacefully because I think he knew this project was not going to die with him.”

The arch itself will be eight feet tall and roughly eight feet wide and will also include a bell near the top of the structure. 

“It’s exciting to be able to bring his dream, his concept, to fruition. It’s a neat thing,” Brown said. “He had a big vision and I was just a tool to put it all together, an instrument I should say to make it happen. It was a great relationship, I loved him like family.”

The Salisbury Rotary Club will be responsible for funding the arch and the major project decisions while the city will be designing the arch, providing the property where construction will commence, and maintaining it once it is finished.

Brown said he and the contractor, Chris Bradshaw, are currently going over costs before construction begins next month and runs until sometime in the fall, weather permitting.

Beverly and her mother, Mary Sue, are both relieved that the arch will be completed within the year after Reid spent so much time trying to develop it into a symbol everyone could appreciate.

“We’re more than happy to know that it’s getting ready in the very near future. One of the reasons he loved this area was this is where the National Guard Armory was, the North Carolina National Guard Armory was located on this land. He thought it would be the perfect place to put this. It became his baby,” Beverly said. 

Still, there’s a bittersweet feeling to Reid not being around to see all of his hard work be rewarded. 

“He was so involved in it. He wanted it so badly. We just hated that he passed away before it became a reality,” Mary Sue said. 

Though Reid may be gone, the “Arch of Freedom” will act as an extension to the selfless person he was and the values in which he stood for. 

“He’s smiling down on us, I can tell you that. This would make him very happy,” Beverly said.