Unless you’re a king, celebrity, president, or prominent leader, you’re not going to be written in the history books. Your story will fade with the people who knew you. Once you pass on, all you really have left are the physical: The photographs, the knick knacks, and the clothing you wore. Fadel’s papa, Lawrence “Larry” Russell Eckert, passed away last summer. He was born on December 3, 1949, in Youngstown, Ohio. Quiet, reserved, and possessing an abundance of patience, Fadel is ashamed to admit that she didn’t fully realize how incredible he was until after he passed. As Fadel has grown older, she noticed that most people, including herself, are egocentric; people love to talk about themselves. It’s just human nature, but Larry was unbelievably humble. He didn’t like to talk about himself; he was a listener, a rare trait to find. Since he was never one to toot his own horn, Fadel did it for him. According to her, Larry was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. An avid Cristian, a golfer, a Browns fan, and a big TV bug, he was also an exceptional civil engineer who traveled the world. He was part of the most prestigious organizations in his field, from the American Society of Civil Engineering to The Moles organization for 40 years. The funny thing is, Fadel doesn’t believe that her papa would care if he was written in the history books; that just wasn’t who he was. He cared about his family, his friends, and his dog. She states that he was a simple man with a beautiful soul, taken from us too soon.

For this project, Fadel wanted to recreate her papa completely from memory without Actually including his body. She believes that clothing can reveal so much about a person, including their values, personality, and background. She Recreates an outfit which he would often wear: the V-neck sweater with the collared shirt underneath with blue jeans. The head and arms are filled with Forget Me Not flowers, which symbolize love, respect, and remembrance. In this project, Fadel hopes to honor him and create something lasting, so his memory isn’t lost through history.