WELLFLEET – A permanent memorial will be installed in Wellfleet in honor of Arthur Medici, who died one year ago from a shark attack off Newcomb Hollow Beach.
The proposed memorial would feature a plaque reading “In Memoriam – Arthur G. Medici, July 8, 1992 – Sept. 15, 2018”.
“The impact in the community is ongoing. I know we need to move on and continue to live our lives, but we don’t want to forget Arthur and what happened at Newcomb Hollow,” said Suzanne Grout Thomas, Town Beach Director, at a select board meeting.
Medici was boogie boarding near the shore of Newcomb Hollow Beach when the great white shark struck. He died from his injuries at Cape Cod Hospital.
He was the first victim of a fatal shark attack in Massachusetts in over 80 years.
Select Board Chairwoman Janet Reinhart said she prefers the idea of a bench by the sea as the possible memorial.
“Benches are always used. You can’t help but ponder life and infinity when you look out at the ocean. People love sitting at the ocean and looking out. I think there’s two fold with that. I think with a bench that might have his name on it—at a subconscious level but also a conscious level—as you go down to the beach, it may gently remind you to be careful. To be aware.”
Wellfleet resident Heather Doyle offered funds for the memorial, either in building or in maintenance, if the board was in favor of a community-sourced memorial that didn’t use town funds to avoid setting a precedent.
Other memorial ideas included a boulder with engraving, or possibly a memorial with a larger plaque to include possible future victims of shark attack.
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