A 2019 Honors graduate from Franklin Central High School, Charter Member of the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council of Indianapolis, active member of Emmanuel Church, and sophomore Media/Film major at Indiana University. Ethan also served with an NGO that provides care for orphans in Rwanda, East Africa (the birthplace of his adopted sister) and was studying Rwandan language at IU and was interested in returning one day to continue work there.
Ethan was a “skater-scholar” and a true inspiration to his family and friends. Ethan didn’t know a stranger, was kind to everyone, and had been deeply troubled by the recent youth violence he had witnessed in our city and wanted to somehow make Indy a better, safer place for everyone, especially youth who were not fortunate enough to live in the relative safety of the suburbs. It is worth noting that one of Ethan’s last acts just hours before his death in NYC was to buy a homeless man a sandwich, even though he was on a strict daily budget of $12. Ethan lived a big life, loved skating, reading thick books and strong coffee. But more than that Ethan loved cities, their people and their stories. He also intuitively understood that places that fostered community were key in helping people better understand and relate to one another, and felt that skateparks did this exceedingly well, especially among young people, particularly the disenfranchised and/or those with limited resources.
In the days following Ethan’s Memorial Service, several members from the Indianapolis skating community who had been touched by Ethan’s kindness at some point came to me and told me that there was a new skatepark in the process of being built here in the heart of Indianapolis at Willard Park. They thought it would be amazing if this skatepark could somehow be named for Ethan to memorialize him. In that moment, I was on board. What better way to honor the life of my son and honor the city, people and community ideals he cared so much about than to help Indianapolis build and name a skatepark for him? After linking arms with Indy Skatepark Advocates, many texts, calls, Zoom meetings, etc., we now have a signed contract from the City of Indianapolis to build this park—Ethan’s Skatepark at Willard Park.
