Aly’s Legacy
october 30, 2019
Sharon Tarsala holds onto her grandaughter Haylie Higdon, age 14, while her daughter Cindi Higdon (left) speaks to the media during Aly’s Rules safety signage installation at the corner of O’Neil Blvd. and Eden Park Blvd in McKeesport, Pa. Haylie’s brother Jonah Higdon stands behind them.
Photograph by Jennifer McCalla
It was a pleasure to meet the Higdon family. The triplets Caleb, Jonah, and Haylie joined their mother Cindi Higdon and their grandmother Sharon Tarsala to participate in the installation of Aly’s Rules safety signage on October 10, 2019.
It was very emotional to hear the grandmother talk about Alyson who died in an vehicle-pedestrian accident in March 2014 in front of Founders Hall Middle School in McKeesport. Alyson was only 14-years-old. It was still very painful for Tarsala and she was crying. I was heartbroken to think of what this family has been though. All I could offer them was a hug. Cindi and Sharon proudly shared the coloring book they made in Aly’s honor.
Installing the sign at the intersection of O’Neil and Eden Park Boulevards where she was killed seemed very meaningful for the family. In the years following Alyson’s death, family members, McKeesport police, and other officials have conducted assemblies presenting Aly’s Rules – Always Look, Listen, and Yield – to McKeesport Area students of all ages. Alyson’s family is seeking community support to sponsor signs at all student bus stops and school crosswalks in the McKeesport Area School District.
I hope the coloring book and the sign will encourage children to always look, listen, and yield which was derived from the letters of Alyson’s name.