By Gregory Childress

gchildress@heraldsun.com; 419-6645

CHAPEL HILL -- Eve Carson, the former student body president at UNC who was slain in March 2008, will be honored by the university next week with the dedication of the new Eve Marie Carson Garden.

The garden, which will honor all UNC students, past and future, who die before they graduate, will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday at the garden, located on Polk Place off Cameron Avenue behind the Campus Y.

"It naturally honors Eve and all her contributions to the university, but it also honors all of the students who have passed away early," said Peggy Jablonski, vice chancellor for student affairs.

The garden is one of several projects that students and university officials began working on to pay tribute to the popular Carson shortly after her death. A scholarship program also has been created in Carson's honor.

Elinor Benami was named the first Eve Marie Carson Scholar last year. Caroline Fish and Chase Jones have been named the recipients of the scholarship for 2010-11.

"It's extremely important [to pay tribute to Carson] because of what she embodied and what she meant to the university," said Seth Dearmin, student body president at UNC during the 2005-06 academic year and a close friend of Carson's.

Dearmin, one of the scheduled speakers at the dedication ceremony, and about 50 other former student body presidents have joined to raise about $50,000 for the garden, which will serve as the university's permanent remembrance of Carson.

He said the former presidents, some of whom Eve had met, befriended and sought advice, were eager to help.

"Everyone has been on board asking 'How can I help? Who can I call? What can I give?' " Dearmin said. "It's galvanized the group of former student body presidents in a big way."

The garden includes a seating area that orients people toward Polk Place. It's flanked by seasonal shrubs and flowers that were some of Carson's favorites.

The area also has a blue stone seat set in a traditional campus Chatham stone wall and an inscription wall made of Georgia marble in honor of Carson's home state.

The wall features this quote from Carson: "Learn from every single being, experience, and moment. What joy it is to search for lessons and goodness and enthusiasm in others."

Carson's father, Bob Carson of Athens, Ga., said in a news release that the nice thing about a garden is that it provides a "sense of nature and order."

"It's a great place and as you've envisioned, it will nurture many wonderful friendships, ideas, laughs and thoughtful moments," Bob Carson said.

In addition to Dearmin and Jablonski, UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp, Bob Winston, chairman of the UNC Board of Trustees, and Student Body President Jasmin Jones are scheduled to speak at the garden's dedication.

The garden is a project of UNC's Student Government, Division of Student Affairs, Auxiliary Services and Facilities Services. It was funded by private donations from Student Affairs, Auxiliary Services, friends of Carson as well as the group of past student body presidents.

Carson was a Morehead-Cain Scholar, a Phi Beta Kappa member, a volunteer in Africa, Latin America and the local community and president of the student body.

She was shot to death at a quiet intersection in a residential neighborhood near the UNC campus. Two Durham men -- Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. and Demario James Atwater -- were charged in the slaying.

Trials in the murder case are still pending.