Curtain of Courage Memorial evokes emotions for victims who died in 2015 terror attack

Raylene Shellenberger of Victorville admitted shedding tears and "being shaken" with every step she took through the newly unveiled Curtain of Courage Memorial at the San Bernardino County Government Center.

The memorial includes the names of the people who died during a terror attack nearly seven years ago at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

“My sister worked for the county and we would often visit the regional center when I made a trip down the hill,” Shellenberger said. “I didn’t know any of the victims, but my sister did and it shook her to the core.”

The memorial marks Dec. 2, 2015, the day the attack left 14 dead and 22 others wounded after a couple stormed the center during a holiday party and San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services staff meeting.

Those who died include:

• Shannon Johnson, 45, Los Angeles

• Bennetta Bet-Badal, 46, Rialto

• Aurora Godoy, 26, San Jacinto

• Isaac Amanios, 60, Fontana

• Larry Kaufman, 42, Rialto

• Harry Bowman, 46, Upland

• Yvette Velasco, 27, Fontana

• Sierra Clayborn, 27, Moreno Valley

• Robert Adams, 40, Yucaipa

• Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, Colton

• Tin Nguyen, 31, Santa Ana

• Juan Espinoza, 50, Highland

• Damian Meins, 58, Riverside

• Michael Wetzel, 37, Lake Arrowhead

“My sister said she’s not ready to visit the memorial; that’s why I went and left a bouquet of roses for both of us,” Shellenberger said. “It’s a beautiful memorial for the lives that were taken away from us.”

Memorial unveiled

Members of the December 2nd Memorial Committee on June 17 unveiled the permanent memorial, which includes the names of the men and women who died in 2015.

The Curtain of Courage is a structure composed of mesh panels that are cast with different colored glass pieces. The panels simulate the curvature of a curtain and are situated around sitting areas to create a place of healing and reflection by evoking an image of a prism’s eternal sparkle, according to memorial designer Walter Hood.

Loved ones of the victims attended the ceremony, which included SBC Supervisors Curt Hagman and Joe Baca Jr., as well as Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes, Representative Pete Aguilar and many community members.

The memorial is on the east side of the San Bernardino County Government Center at 385 N. Arrowhead Ave. and is open to the public from dusk to dawn.

“The Curtain of Courage Memorial and the people it represents will be a forever landmark for us to reflect and remember what happened on December 2nd, 2015,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “We won’t forget the victims and the impact this had on our county. This memorial reminds us that hate didn’t win, and that our community held on to us to get us through the pain and tragedy.”

Design submissions

The December 2 Memorial Committee invited artists, designers and architects locally and internationally to submit their ideas for the memorial outside the County Government Center in San Bernardino.

Eighty-five artists from around the world submitted proposals to design and construct the December 2 Memorial project.

The proposals included submissions from Britain, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Spain, China, Korea, Singapore and Argentina, as well as from across the U.S and SBC.

A mix of young artists and established artists, as well as landscape architects and designers, were among those who applied to design the memorial.

About designer Walter Hood

Hood wanted to design a memorial that recognized that violence has unfortunately become part of our cultural landscape and that there has been a tragic loss of life from these types of violent attacks from city to city, he said.

Hood was inspired by the outpouring of support for the survivors and the families of those taken from us who came together to support one another.

He wanted to commemorate the tragic event, but on the other hand, wanted to show the light of the community coming together, Hood said.

The memorial is a place for ritual and there are 14 alcoves where people can go and find a place of solace.

Hood also recognized that SBC employees would pass the space every day on their way in and out of the building and he wanted something full of light and remembrance.

“On the one hand, we are making a public space, but we are also creating something highly personal,” Hood said.

Hood is the creative director of Hood Design Studio in Oakland and is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

He received the 2017 Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, the 2019 Knight Public Spaces Fellowship, and the 2019 MacArthur Fellowship.

In April 2018, Hood gave a TED Talk on how urban spaces can preserve history and build community.

Over his long career, Hood has designed public art projects across the country, including The Broad Museum Plaza in downtown Los Angeles and Witness Walls in Nashville, Tennessee, celebrating the city’s Civil Rights Movement.

For more information on the memorial, visit December2.sbcounty.gov. 

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Memorial pays tribute to those killed in San Bernardino terror attack