Members of the Garden Club of Brewton honored and dedicated a small garden to the memory of W.S. Neal High School principal, Phillip Ellis, on Monday. Ellis, who died last year after a struggle with cancer, and Donnie Rotch, principal at T.R. Miller High School, who was killed in a vehicle accident, were selected by the Garden Club of Brewton to have a small garden placed on campus dedicated to the memory of both. Janice Smith, one of the club members, said that Mary Charles Akridge, who was the first president of the Garden Club of Brewton came up with the idea of planting a memorial to both Phillip Ellis, and Rotch.

“We got permission from both the Brewton City School superintendent and the Escambia County superintendent,” Akridge said. “We dedicated the garden at Miller just before the end of the school year. We had several members of the garden club who really worked hard on getting it together. Teresa Shehan, Carol Graves, Ann McMillan, and Janice Smith worked to get it like we wanted it.”

Akridge related some personal memories about Ellis at the dedication and welcomed those who attended the ceremony.