Courthouse tree dedicated to the memory of Robert Rawlins

 

[December 23, 2024] 

If you have been in the lobby of the courthouse this Christmas season, or last Christmas season, you could not have missed the massive Christmas tree that is on display there. It turns out this tree has a special story behind it, one that we here at LDN wanted to share before the end of the Christmas season.

At the base of the tree is a plaque that states the tree is a memorial tree to honor Robert Rawlins, a former security guard at the Courthouse. Mike Robinson, a current security guard, shared a bit about Rawlins and how he knew him. Rawlins worked security at the Courthouse from 2014 until 2023. Tragically, Rawlins suffered from a heart attack while on the job and lost his life. Robinson worked with Rawlins for the last two and a half years that Rawlins worked there.

According to Robinson, Rawlins was a “stickler for policy.” He would be no-nonsense in one moment, and then one of the most friendly, outgoing, and endearing people in the next. Rawlins, Robinson, and Frank Buckles would put a Christmas tree up each year. It would take them about a week to do, as they would have to work on it in parts between the regular responsibilities of their job. Robinson stated that Rawlins, like with policy, was a stickler for how the tree was decorated too.

Buckles was looking to sell the tree that is in the Courthouse now, as he previously owned it and no longer had room for such a large tree. Robinson and Rawlins decided they were going to go in together and buy it from Buckles to put up in the Courthouse each year.

Rawlins passed before the tree could be bought, however. Robinson decided to make the purchase himself and dedicate the tree in memory of Rawlins. This is the second year the memorial tree has been put up.

Shannon Kelly, who also works security at the Courthouse, made small, circle ornaments with the names of Courthouse employees and Logan County departments on them. This ranges from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office to Judge Jonathan Wright.

If you get a chance before it is taken down, you might like to make a trip into the Courthouse to see the tree. It truly is a sight to behold.

[Matt Boutcher]