Kenny Staples died tragically in an Allentown bus fire 10 years ago, yet the friendly 47-year-old who battled cerebral palsy has not been forgotten. On June 24, friends and family gathered in a grassy area along the Monocacy Creek in Johnston Park to dedicate a bench in his memory, a location that is visible from the apartment unit in the Bethlehem Housing Authority's Monocacy Tower in which he once lived.

Authority Executive Director Clara Kendy spoke about Kenny's love of God and music, calling him the "coolest DJ."

"He was a joy to know," said Kendy.

Deputy Director Mark Iampietro added that it was Staples' practical joking that won him over.

"To get to know Kenny was to lose pity," Iampietro said.

Staples' mother, Dona Reynolds, held up a photograph of her son and shared a number of notes that had been crafted by him, showing a mother's pride over a specific one he had written that read, "I am independent."

As evidence of Staples' positive impact on others, UPS driver Ron Kotash, who had delivered a voice translation box to Kenny, appeared at the ribbon cutting.

After unveiling the memorial plaque that is affixed to the bench, Reynolds was the first to sit down on it as she read the plaque out loud to those in attendance.

"We wanted to honor his memory," Iampietro said, " and we wanted something a little more permanent."