Tom Ralston was invited by the Santa Cruz Art and History Committee including local historians to design a Chinese Memorial in the Evergreen Cemetery. The memorial, the first of its kind, would recognize the Chinese presence and the vast contributions they made to develop Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Areas. TRC starts by excavating a dilapidated hillside in the Chinese section of the hillside digging footings, piers and an area to accommodate charcoal colored posts and an arched Gate. The posts and beam would have stainless steel Chinese characters that poetically speak to the toil and great efforts the Chinese had brought to the region. The characters powder coated red play dramatic on the charcoal self consolidated concrete. Master carpenter Rex Nicoliason and the crews of Tom Ralston concrete brought Tom's vision into fruition. A Spirit Money Incinerator (a ceremonial oven) is also displayed in the Chinese section of Evergreen. Read an excellent profile on this project featured in August 2014 Durability + Design magazine and a blog post by Tom.
