CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Gary the Guardrail was a local legend who persisted through every fender bender and side swipe, and many grieved his loss when it was announced that Gary would be going away. But now, his legacy has been enshrined just a few trailer-lengths from his original post, at nearby O’Connor’s Pub.
Gary came from humble beginnings at the corner of Trenton and Tylertown Roads. According to his memorial, he first came to Clarksville in 2018. For years, Gary endured misfortune at the wheels of semi-trucks. Every few months, Gary took a beating from tractor trailers, which repeatedly ran into, and over, the guardrail due to the tight and challenging turn.
As a result, the mangled guardrail became a local celebrity with his own Facebook page, support petition, and fans who left him get-well balloons. Google Maps even acknowledged Gary as a hyperlinked “historical landmark” on the platform, with 35 reviews and a 5-star rating.
On Sept. 19, the Clarksville Street Department announced that road work and construction would begin that day. According to previous reports, crews began working in the southeast corner of the intersection to install a junction, eliminating the need for a guardrail, and more specifically, Gary.
O’Connor’s Pub enshrines Gary for final resting place
While many grieved the loss of the infamous guardrail, O’Connor’s Pub was working behind the scenes to breathe life into his memory, refusing to let his name fall into obscurity.
Greg Parbs, owner of O’Connor’s Pub, told Clarksville Now that while the road expansion project was underway, he asked the construction crews on site if O’Connor’s could have a small portion of Gary.
“We wanted to honor Gary and have him in the backyard here at O’Connor’s,” Parbs told Clarksville Now. “It was something to create a fun kind of atmosphere around. Everybody sometimes takes away the troubles in the day, and you focus on an inanimate object and you just, kind of, wish it well.”
The crews obliged the request, and Parbs called up a friend to help reassemble Gary and make sure that he was sturdy in the ground. Once Gary was put back together in the backyard at O’Connor’s, a spotlight was installed to shine a light him during the evening time with a placard fixed to it that reads, “Gary the Guard Rail. Final Resting Place.”
Gary the Guardrail’s memorial ceremony
On Oct. 18, O’Connor’s hosted a memorial ceremony, celebrating the life of Gary the Guardrail, with handouts that detailed Gary’s life at the intersection. The handout describes how Gary “stood firm against the onslaught of vehicular violence. … Through dent, bend and break, he bore the blows so the citizens of Clarksville would not have to.”
An excerpt from the memorial: “Gary is survived by his devoted wife, Rhonda the Roundabout of Whitfield Rod; his sis, Kerri the Guardrail of Alfred Thun Road; his brothers-in law, Billy Brickwall of Memorial/Allenwood Drive, Wally the Wall of Governor’s Square Mall, and cousin Barry the Guardrail of Churchill Downs. He was preceded in death by his father, George, of Dickson, Tennessee, whose steel was strong and whose presence endures in memory.”
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Over 70 people attended the Celebration of Life for Gary, and Parbs delivered a eulogy.
“Gary protected that corner 24 hours, 7 days a week, through holidays, rain, snow, sunshine and wind,” Parbs said. “Gary received many a blow from an 18-wheel truck. … I, myself, witnessed approximately 20 feet of Gary dragged all the way to the Family Dollar store down Tylertown Road.”
Visitation ongoing at O’Connor’s
The memorial described that, although Clarksville motorists “may not always have known his name, they knew his work: a quiet sacrifice, an unflinching stand, a reminder of the cost of corners too sharp and trucks too wide.”
Gary is available for perpetual visitation at O’Connor’s Pub on Tylertown Road, Tuesday-Sunday, from 3 p.m.-3 a.m. Markers are available to sign Gary for those who want to leave well wishes.
“May Gary rest in reinforced peace,” the memorial said.
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