Charbonnier-Dever Memorial plannedRep. Dan Hunt sponsored legislation – signed into law last November – that will create a permanent memorial to two fallen law enforcement heroes from Dorchester: State Trooper Mark S. Charbonnier and Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Richard “Ricky” Dever.

A fundraiser at Florian Hall on Friday, April 15, will help raise the funds to build the memorial, which will be situated on state parkland near Granite Avenue.

Trooper Charbonnier and Deputy Dever were childhood friends who dedicated their careers to public safety. Charbonnier, a six-year veteran of the State Police was murdered by a gunman while on duty on Route 3 in Kingston in 1994. Dever was killed in 2005 as he tried to stop a disturbance in a Charlestown bar caused by a man who stabbed him to death at the scene.

Both men continue to be fondly remembered and deeply mourned in their neighborhood.
Hunt has worked with the Charbonnier and Dever families to come up with a design that “meets the Department of Conservation and Recreation guidelines and yet is a significant and fitting tribute” to the memory of both men.

“We are working with DCR now on a design for a granite bench wall that will look out onto the Neponset River and an American flag to be located adjacent to the Neponset Greenway at DCR's Neponset II Park,” Hunt told the Reporter this week. “We wanted something that would fit into the existing features and add an amenity for the park users.”

The April 15 time at Florian Hall runs from 7 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $25, with all proceeds going to the memorial fund.
- Bill Forry