A bronze lion rests at the grave of Michael Haggerty in Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, NY
In my many years of traveling in and out of cemeteries and graveyards, I've occasionally come across a jewel - something unique and out of the ordinary among a vast majority of gray squares, rectangles, and rounds.
Such was my encounter with the Haggerty lion.
When you drive through Oakwood Cemetery, you'll see the Lyman Cornelius Smith mausoleum on your right, with towering Corinthian columns and large pedestals holding bowls of colorful flowers. Look up ahead for the Civil War monument with a soldier standing high above, somberly looking over the rows of white stones. Down a winding hill and around the corner to the right. Follow the grassy hills dotted with mausoleums and statues towards Dedication Valley until you come to the gray limestone Silsbee Chapel.
If you stand with the chapel to your left and look towards the right, up a slight grade, in a plot surrounded by trees and filtered sunlight, you'll see the lion. A staunch bronze guardian, that has watched over Michael Haggerty since 1982.
When Michael was a child, much younger than the one that left too soon, he was fascinated with lions. He wanted to be a lion. What could be a more fitting memorial to represent him?
The year was 1974. Michael was just fourteen when his life was swept away in a tragic one-car accident.
Several years later, Michael's younger brother Thomas, now studying sculpture at Syracuse University, designed and created the lion at the request of the family. The Haggerty's planned to have the lion placed at Michael's grave in St. Mary's Cemetery in Dewitt, NY.
Thomas worked at home during the summer of 1981. With the guidance of the Chair of the Sculpture Department, the king let out its first growl.
When the Haggerty's approached St. Mary's they were met with disapproval from the Diocese of Syracuse. A lion was not considered a religious symbol by the Catholic church, so it would not be allowed.
It must have been quite the shock to be denied. If the lion was ever to stand at Michael's grave it would need acceptance from another cemetery. Ultimately, the family chose Oakwood, which was near their home.
They had Michael disinterred from St. Mary's and moved to Oakwood where he was reburied in the oldest part of the cemetery, opposite the Silsbee Chapel. The lion soon followed.
If you happen to find yourself at Oakwood, follow my directions towards Dedication Valley. Walk up the grade and sit on the wooden bench as I have often done. Contemplate the short life of Michael Haggerty. Listen deep into the quiet. Around the edges of silence, you just might hear the lion roar.
This article was written with information gathered from The Daily Orange 11/2012 "In Loving Memory: Lion Statue Serves as Memorial...; Find a Grave - Michael Charles Haggerty; and Waymarking.com Bronze Lion.
Haggerty Lion photograph copyright 2022 by Christine Shephard may not be used without permission.
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