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One of the most interesting things I do is compile “This Week in Local History,” where we take 10-, 25- and 50-year looks back through the archives of the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal. Every week, I discover something that makes me want to shout it to the rest of the newsroom, laugh out loud and – every now and again – even burst into tears.
One of those latter moments happened this week, when I looked over the Aug. 9, 2000, edition of the Scout. One of the front-page stories had the headline, “Teen dies in one-car accident.”
“Crystal Malinowski, 13, a rising fifth-grader at Hiwassee Dam Union School, died Sunday in a one-car accident near her home,” the article reads.
“A Cherokee County deputy’s report indicated the youth got into a Suburban parked nearby and somehow put the vehicle into neutral, Sheriff Alan Kilpatrick said. As the Suburban rolled backward, the teen tried to get out or was pulled out of an open door when the vehicle struck a tree. The Suburban came to rest against a stump, apparently pinning her.”
As a parent, I cannot image witnessing a more horrific scene.
Her father, Jerry Malinowski, somehow managed to keep himself together enough to rush a badly injured Crystal to their home about 2 miles past Hiwassee Dam near Violet. A local nurse and a member of Cherokee County Rescue Squad met there to begin resuscitation efforts, and a LifeStar helicopter from the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville was called in.
Unfortunately, the copter pilot did not feel comfortable landing near the dam, so Emergency Medical Services took Crystal to Hiwassee Dam School, where she was picked up and transported.
Tragically, Crystal – who was working in a vegetable stand at the end of her driveway that day – was pronounced dead after arriving at UT. A wreath was hung on the stand as a memorial.
Meanwhile, her parents had to live with what happened. Crystal’s mother, Beth, later died. But her father, Jerry, soldiered on, with his daughter and what happened to her constantly on his mind.
For years, he placed ads in the Scout featuring photos of Crystal and poems he wrote for her. One year after she departed for heaven, Jerry wrote “My Promise to Crystal.” Here’s an excerpt:
“My heart may be sad But I am still your dad,
And as each day passes by
And I continue to wonder why,
I promise you
I will hold you again.”
As Jerry got older, medical conditions started catching up with him. Knowing he wasn’t going to be on this side of eternity forever, he wanted to create something as a lasting memorial to his wife and daughter, while also helping other local residents who might find themselves in the same position as Crystal and needing a life flight to survive.
That’s when he bought a piece of property on Hiwassee Dam Access Road and got to work leveling it and setting a foundation. Jerry is in the process of building an area when emergency helicopters can safely land and cut down on the amount of time it takes to get an injured person from deep within the mountains outside of town to a hospital bed in a big city.
The roads are in, the pad is ready for concrete and there’s going to be a fire tower on the site, too. The only thing Malinowski is asking the Cherokee County government to pay for is paving the road so emergency vehicles will have safer, and swifter, patient transfers.
His wife, daughter and, one day, himself will be buried together on that mountain in what will be the Malinowski Family Cemetery. That’s a fitting legacy.
“I just wanted to do something good with the time I have left,” Jerry said.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. Call him with comments and questions at 828-837-5122 or email dbrown@cherokeescout.com.