The Robert F. Hoke Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) has signed the original proposed Fame statue relocation agreement, previously agreed upon by Salisbury City Council and the Historic Salisbury Foundation. Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander received the notarized document from the UDC Hoke Chapter president late Sunday, June 21 -- five days before the Friday, June 26, deadline.
The UDC Hoke Chapter presented late-day changes to the initial relocation agreement to Salisbury elected officials on Tuesday, June 16. City Council unanimously rejected the changes, and adopted a resolution to provide the UDC with a 10-day deadline to sign the original agreement. The UDC Hoke Chapter received the documents for signature via registered mail Wednesday, June 17.
The Historic Salisbury Foundation will serve as the fiduciary agent of more than $55,000, raised by Hoke UDC descendants and other anonymous citizens to facilitate the relocation.
“As Mayor of Salisbury, I have so many unnamed citizen leaders, from both the black and the white community, and diverse political and social points of view, to thank for this accomplishment,” said Mayor Alexander. “All of these citizens had the quiet faith, the stamina, the tenacity and the heart for doing what is best for our community, now and for the future. I will be forever grateful for their quiet, and sometimes anonymous contributions, in so many ways that have made this day possible. As a woman of faith, my heart is full of gratitude to God Almighty, that our city leadership and citizens have chosen a path of mutual respect and respect for the laws of our state and nation to find a peaceful and lawful resolution to this long-debated issue.”
“The UDC worked diligently over Father’s Day weekend, signing the agreement five days prior to the deadline,” said the UDC Hoke Chapter. “Our desire is to bring closure to this decision so that Fame can be safely removed, stored and relocated, as quickly as is feasible to its final location at the Old Lutheran Cemetery on North Lee Street where Confederate Generals, and named and unknown Confederate Soldiers are buried.”
With a Grateful Heart,
Mayor Karen Alexander