Throughout the fall semester, I have taken many walks through Madison Square Park; however, I have never paid attention to the statues or the plaques on the benches. This was my first time, in this park and every other park I have visited, walking around the park and stopping at nearly every bench to read the plaque. I found many heartfelt messages but this specific one stood out to me the most. 

From this plaque, we learn that David Mandl passed away in 2007, and, considering the fact that he was born in 1953, we can assume that he passed at the age of 53 or 54. We also know that the person who dedicated this bench to Mandl hopes that everyone can enjoy this bench in honor of him. In other words, the intended audience are the people in the park. Unfortunately, many people in the park walk past the bench without stopping by to read the plaque or even sit on the bench. This might be due to the bench being in a corner of a quieter path in the park. Overall, I do not think that this memorial is successful; it was a very sincere gesture to honor a friend, but it is often left unnoticed in the park. 

(an unrelated memorial but I thought it was very cute so here it is)