MorningSide’s Finest: Gail White & Renee Moore

When the tree in front of Gail White’s home on Three Mile died about ten years ago, she and her husband Floyd knew they wanted to do something special with it. Enter “The Chainsaw Man,” who carved a regal eagle out of the remaining tree trunk. “The eagle was my husband’s idea,” says Gail. “There’s no special symbolism to it - he just likes eagles.” Even after a decade, people will stop to look at it and take pictures, she says.

Gail and Floyd’s neighbor, Renee Moore, was inspired by the sculpture and vowed that if her own tree ever died, she would do something similar. When that happened early this year, she commissioned the carving of three bears climbing a tree trunk. “I had three boys, and I always called them ‘Bear’,” says Renee with a laugh. And as a former kindergarten teacher, the story of the three little bears was one of her favorites, she says.

Renee has also created a lovely memorial garden for her son Donovan (Doc), who died in 2017. It features a mural of her son, with a stage in front of it for entertainment, a border garden of annuals and perennials, and several wrought-iron benches. “One woman who regularly takes walks in the neighborhood asked if she could stop and sit in the garden one day. Of course I said yes.”

Thank you, Renee, Gail, and Floyd, for beautifying and inspiring our community!