‘To honor his legacy’: High school garden to remember Fresno man killed in crash
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A senior at Edison High School in Fresno is building a Peace Garden on campus to commemorate the life of a former student and Caltrans engineer who passed away in tragic circumstances.
Matthew Pitcher, the Associated Student Body President at Edison High School, says that the idea to build the garden came as a passion project. Pitcher says he wanted to leave behind something evergreen for the school that nurtured him for four years – the school where Ali Shabazz also attended and left his own legacy.
Edison High School alumnus Ali Shabazz was an engineer with Caltrans who was killed in August 2022 in a two-vehicle crash in Mendota. At the time, Governor Gavin Newsom described Shabazz as “a dedicated Caltrans employee who served the people of California for more than 16 years.” Shabazz also served as the head of the Masjid Al-Aqaba Mosque.
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“Mr. Shabazz was a large part of the community, serving as the imam at the local mosque right up the street from Edison,” Associated Student Body President Matthew Pitcher said. “He and his wife actually met at Edison High School – and [ended up] having eight kids that attend Edison High School.”
According to Fresno Unified School District, Shabazz also led hundreds in the Salatul-Jumu’ah, or Friday prayer, every Friday.
“I wanted to find something to honor his legacy at Edison,” Pitcher said, “by dedicating the garden to him it emphasizes his importance to this region and this community because he dedicated his entire life to it.”
Pitcher says the peace garden will provide a green space for students to enjoy for many years. He says it will also send a message to every student who enters the garden that every student can leave a lasting impact on their community.
“I think students should know that, if you come to Edison you will etch a place in history yourself, just by becoming a student,” Pitcher said.
Students at Edison will host a dedication ceremony to unveil the new peace garden on Friday, April, 26.
Fresno Unified staff have expressed pride in all of their students but recognize that Matthew’s initiative in this project merits its own praise.
Working with and supporting Matthew for the past several years as his teacher and club advisor has been my privilege – I am proud of what he has accomplished with the peace garden. His contribution to Edison is remarkable and will leave a lasting legacy that will impact students for years to come.
Janina Schulz, Edison High School Teacher
Pitcher says he is humbled to be a part of the project and though he plans to move on to UC Berkeley after he graduates to study Political Science and Public Policy; he hopes he can one day return to Fresno and run for city council.
