“Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure, you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.”
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Aug. 10, 2020 — Recently a small granite bench carved with the above sentiment was added to West Liberty University’s campus and placed prominently near the southwest entrance of Shaw Hall. It commemorates Dreama Bush, longtime employee who passed away after a brief illness this past December.
“Dreama was so involved in student life and student events and when our sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, learned of her illness and passing, we all wanted to do something. So, we discussed what we could do to memorialize Dreama with Kate Billings. Joe Mills helped us out in making it happen,” said Taylor Curry, who graduated this past May with a degree in nursing and served on the executive board of Alpha Xi Delta during her time at WLU.
Bush was an administrative assistant to Vice President of Student Services Scott Cook, who also serves as Registrar. One of her duties was answering the university’s main phone line and greeting students and visitors at Shaw Hall.
Known for her helpfulness and approachable attitude, Bush was never too busy or stressed to listen. She provided friendly guidance for everyone and related to each student as if they were her own.
Billings is the director of Student Life Activities and oversees Greek Life. Mills is the director of the Physical Plant and assisted with the ordering and installation of the memorial bench.
“I was happy to help but it was the students who took the bull by the horn and figured out what kind of memorial was appropriate and followed up with the details. It is a fitting tribute,” Billings said.
“You couldn’t go to West Lib and not know who Dreama was. Alpha Xi Delta voted to spend our end-of-year money to commemorate her this way,” said Curry.
Bush marked 20 years of service at WLU in 2019.
A resident of Sherrard, W.Va., she was only 67 at the time of her death. She left behind three children, 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Curry now works at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, but she and her sorority sisters can rest assured that campus will never forget Dreama thanks to this memorial.