Benches, tree dedicated to Behrman

Family and friends of Jill Behrman gathered Friday afternoon at the Student Recreational Sports Center to remember a life well-lived.\nIU Recreational Sports dedicated two benches and a tree outside of the SRSC in Jill Behrman's memory because the center is where she spent much of her time while she was an IU student.\nTwo benches, carved from Indiana limestone, now sit next to a black gum tree. The heart-shaped logo carved on the end of the benches matches the buttons that were distributed when Jill Behrman disappeared.\nAfter the dedication ceremony, guests tied yellow remembrance ribbons on the tree.\nThe choice to plant a black gum tree represents the curiosity Jill Behrman embodied, her father Eric Behrman said during his dedication speech.\nA storm destroyed a birch tree in the Behrmans' front yard, Eric Behrman said. A landscaper suggested a black gum tree -- which turns crimson during the fall -- be planted in its place.\nJill Behrman, then about 8 years old, helped replace the dirt around the new tree. A few days later, she had a question for her parents.\n"I overheard her go up to Marilyn and ask, 'Mom, when do we get the black gum?'" Eric Behrman said.\nJill Behrman, always interested in physical fitness, started working at the SRSC during her freshman year at IU before she disappeared during a morning bike ride May 31, 2000. She was enthusiastic about her job even when faced with the task of cleaning exercise mats, Kathy Bayless, director of Recreational Sports said\nJohn Pedersen, SRSC director of facility support and Jill Behrman's former supervisor, said he remembers the day Jill disappeared. She didn't show up for work, which was in striking contrast to her ordinarily conscientious behavior, he said.\nPedersen said the newly dedicated tree and benches will preserve Jill's memory at IU.\n"It will help students become more informed about the legacy that she left," Pedersen said.\nMarilyn Behrman, Jill Behrman's mother, said she thought her daughter was headed toward a career in wellness or fitness.\n"The SRSC was a place that was very special to Jill," Eric Behrman said. "She enjoyed working here very much."\nMargie Polley, a Behrman family friend and board member for Jill's House, which will help families of cancer patients seeking treatment at the IU Proton Therapy facility and is named after Jill Behrman, said the tree and benches located outside the SRSC are a fitting way to carry on Jill Behrman's memory forever.\n"Jill was a wonderful young lady," Polley said, "and it's nice to see her remembered this many years later." \nThe dedication ceremony was part of the kickoff for the Oct. 21 Jill Behrman Run for the End Zone, a 5K race that benefits the Jill Behrman Emerging Leadership Scholarship fund and Jill's House. \nThe trial for John R. Myers II, Jill Behrman's alleged killer, is scheduled to begin Oct. 16.