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Field At Tampa Park To Be Named In Honor Of Slain Teen

Tribune file photo by JIM REED (2007)

A student-created memorial included a memorial card for C.J. Mills at Jefferson High School.

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 17, 2008

TAMPA - Next week, on the first anniversary of the day her grandson died, Lucy Mills will watch as a city athletic field is renamed in his honor.

On April 25, the field at Lincoln Gardens Park, at 4007 W. Palmetto St., will be named after Cedric "C.J." Mills, 17, a Jefferson High School football star who was fatally shot while in his driveway a year ago, his grandmother said.

The slaying is unsolved.

That frustrates the teenager's family, who are determined to have him remembered for the determination and leadership by which he lived.

"C.J. left a legacy here," Lucy Mills said this morning. "His life was surrounded by what he could help others with."

To have the field where he and his friends played sports, such as football as a junior Buccaneer, is special, she said. "To have them look up on the field, they know C.J. is still with them, … an everyday person that worked hard to get where he was."

Mills said she petitioned the Tampa Parks and Recreation Department for the naming rights. The city council approved her request.

There will be a small naming ceremony at the park at 3 p.m. April 25, she said. She hopes to have a larger sign installed at some point bearing a photo of her grandson in his football uniform.

Tampa police said C.J. Mills was fatally shot by two people in his driveway at 4219 W. Laurel St.

Police have asked that anyone with information about the shooting call (813) 231-6130.

Lucy Mills said she is convinced someone knows about the gunmen but is remaining silent, perhaps out of fear.

"Life is not of a good quality if you're afraid to walk down the street or to say something to somebody," she said. "Children have to learn how to speak up – not just children, but adults also. It's not a thug thing or a snitching thing. It's doing the right thing."

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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