May 12, 2025
Dwayne Perry wore a big smile on his face as Shelly Morris cut the symbolic burgundy ribbon Thursday afternoon at Greenwood Cemetery. The ends of the ribbon cascaded down to the state-of-the-art road, a feat of engineering that was the result of countless hours of hard – and selfless – work from Perry and dozens of individuals and a handful of companies and organizations over the past two years. When the project started in 2023, Perry was a student in the University of Missouri–St. Louis/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program, volunteering his time as part of a small group of students – along with Lexi Twillmann, Sindy Naruy Pham and Trinity López – working with faculty member Gary Moore to help solve a dilemma at the historic cemetery in north St. Louis County. Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, attended by more than 100 people including local TV stations, marked the official opening of the new road. UMSL engineering students played a significant role in assessing the project and designing the pathway. Greenwood Cemetery is set on 32 acres in the town of Hillsdale. Established in 1874, the cemetery was the first African-American non-sectarian cemetery in St. Louis, and more than 50,000 are buried on the grounds.
The students started by considering standard possibilities for the road – asphalt or concrete – but those wouldn’t work because of the rain runoff. The American Chemistry Council stepped up to provide Aspire pavers, which are made with recycled tires, for the project. MSD also required a water storage system underneath the road to deal with the rain runoff. “I’ve learned what it really means to work on a project, from concept to 90% design, to balance creative ideas with real world constraints,” Perry said. “Most importantly, it showed me the power of engineering as a career and a service. I didn’t just gain technical skills; I gained a stronger sense of purpose.” Moore made sure to point out that the students volunteered their time; they did not receive any school credit or get a grade for their efforts. “The students had to take this on separate from all their other duties in their classrooms and then in their jobs or part-time work they were doing,” Moore said. “They had to do this over and above what they were already committed to and factor in their family balance as well. This was additional. I told them, ‘The grade is that you get to help your community. You get to give back. Engineers need to give back to the community.’ "
