It began in the summer of 1986 when my father took me to go see Stand By Me, a movie he was excited about that was featuring one of his favorite actors, Richard Dreyfuss. It was then that I saw River Phoenix, fresh faced and unusually beautiful. We were in awe at the realness of his character 'Chris Chambers' and it was in those moments that you forgot he was an actor. I will never forget when my dad looked over at me and said, "that kid is going to be a star."

      Of course I developed the typical teenager crush and relied on heartthrob magazines to tell me who this new young actor was. I devoured numerous articles and soon my walls were plastered with images of River. 

     However, there was just something more to River. It stimulated your brain, not just your eyes. This dude was on a heightened level of awareness. He was aware of things that teenagers didn't usually concern themselves with at the time. The way he wanted to save the planet and the way he was aware of our current climate crisis. He made us look at how we treated animals, his strict veganism. Most of all he made us look at how we treated ourselves and one another. You couldn't say that about any other teenager at the time let alone a young actor. River will always be the prime example of what people should strive to be. Forget the stigma surrounding his untimely death, forget the critics who dare insult his memory but remember the light he brought to the world in just the 23 short years he was here on earth. The tremendous raw talent of River is still appreciated almost 30 years after his departure from earth. Although he has been gone for so long, the generations that follow us seem to find him and I hope that always remains. Let us remember the human, the man and the light, River Phoenix. 

 

     In honor of his 29th anniversary, a memorial plaque will be erected at Arroyo Del Oso Golf Course in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 31st, 2022. A tree was planted in April of this year in River's memory, it has already taken root and bloomed once during the summer. 

 

     I would like to thank my dearest friend Lucy L. for brainstorming with me on the idea for the memorial and your encouragement. A big thank you to Dave S. for the donation of the tree, the stone and getting the okay for River's Memorial in the first place (Thank you to the ADO Crew, you know who you are). Thank you to Kristi S. for everything (you know what you did). Lastly, to my husband Victor, (the builder, the mason, the carpenter, the planter, etc)...without you, none of this would have been possible. Your hard work and dedication to this project is appreciated.

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- Joanna Lynn Griego

 

#RiverPhoenixForever