By Associated Press
Laurel, MD – In Laurel, Maryland, many older residents can point to the precise spot in the shopping center where Arthur Bremer's gunshots paralyzed Alabama Governor George C. Wallace and cut short his campaign for the White House in 1972.
They recall just what they were doing that May 15th afternoon when they heard that the loner from Milwaukee had shot Wallace five times as he shook hands in the parking lot of what was then the city's main retail plaza.
But as the 35th anniversary of the shooting approaches and Laurel struggles to retain its small-town identity, the collective memory of its most famous event is fading.
Unlike Memphis or Dallas, the site of Wallace's assassination attempt bears no public marker, and the town is growing fuzzy about it.
Wallace's family has never considered requesting a marker at the site, says Wallace's son, George Wallace Junior.
He says if the local community wanted one, the family wouldn't object. But it isn't planning to get involved.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)