THVideo (ARKANSAS NEWS STATION)
EMMY CHERRY STORY TRANSCRIPT

LIZ MASSEY: three people killed in the Atkins tornado in February will be remembered in a book.

DAWN SCOTT: You'll recall ten year old Emmy Cherry and her parents were killed when their home was leveled on February 5th. THV's Melissa Dunbar-Gates is here with the story at new at 6:00 tonight. Welcome Melissa...

NEW AT 6:00

MELISSA DUNBAR-GATES: Good evening Dawn and Liz. Emmy was an avid reader, her family says she was reading at four years old. Right before she was killed she wrote a book report on her favorite author. That author is now writing Emmy into her books.

> ATKINS FOOTAGE FEBRUARY 2008
MELISSA DUNBAR-GATES: Febuary 5th, 2008 a young life ended here along with the lives of her parents. Emmy, Dana and Jimmy Cherry were a close family. Both Emmy's grandmothers say they'll never get over the grief [of their loss].

> INTERVIEW FOOTAGE FEBRUARY 2008
KAY CHERRY (GRANDMOTHER): It's just horrible. The way we feel, his girl was just absolutely something different.

MELISSA DUNBAR-GATES: This is one of the only remaining things from Emmy, her last book report spotlighting author Erin Hunter. Hunter writes the warriors books, a popular series with fifth-thru-eigth graders.

KAY CHERRY (GRANDMOTHER): She would sit over on one of the chairs in my living room and she was reading and she'd laugh and she'd say "these books are so funny" she said, "They're so great".

MELISSA DUNBAR-GATES: This is the Cherry's property left here in Atkins. What was left of the home has now been removed. But the three lives that were lost here will now forever be remembered in a children's book series. The best selling author has offered to make all three Cherry family members characters in her next book.

KAY CHERRY (GRANDMOTHER): It blows our minds, all of us. It just blows our minds.

MELISSA DUNBAR-GATES: A local book store owner who knew of Emmy's passion for the Warriors series contacted the publishing company to tell them of the Tornado. They contacted the author who immediately sent a series of autographed books to Emmy's classmates at Atkin's Middle School and decided to make the Cherry's into characters. Today THV spoke with Erin Hunter over the phone from her hometown of London, England. Hunter said she was struck with Emmy's story.

VICTORIA HOLMES: She loved animals like I do. She wrote about Warriors. She was just an amazing child who doesn't deserve to be snuffed out quite so quickly. I think we need to let her spirit resonate with us.

MELISSA DUNBAR-GATES: All the way from Atkins, Arkonsal to London, Enland family members can hardly believe a best selling author will help carry on the memory of a girl, gone too soon.

MELISSA DUNBAR-GATES: And the book with Emmy's character in it is the fifth [Long Shadows], in one of the warriors series. It's scheduled to be released early next year. Meantime the author, Erin Hunter, is scheduled to come to Atkins, from London in September to personally speak with Emmy's family and classmates. Dawn?

DAWN SCOTT: That is so touching Melissa, thank you. The book store owner [Lynn Wiman] who made the initial call to the publishers will auction off a Warriors autographed book on ebay. The money made from that sale will go to a fund thats been set up in Emmy's memory and that fund is used to help other victim's of tornados.