The NC Department of Cultural Resources Office of Archives and History has notified the Town of Smithfield the Highway Historical Marker Advisory Commission has approved a marker for Ava Gardner.
Plans call for erecting the marker on Highway 70 Business at Sunset Memorial Park, where Gardner was buried in 1990.
State officials plan to order the marker in late-July depending on the availability of funds. Casting and shipment will require another couple of months according to Ansley Herring Wegner, Administrator, of the NC Highway Historical Marker Program.
In a letter to Smithfield Mayor John Lampe, Wegner said the exact location will be subject to review by the Department of Transportation.
The marker will include the following inscription:
AVA GARDNER
1922-1990
An actress in 67 films,
from 1941 to 1986. An
Academy Award nominee;
Johnston County native.
Gravesite 100 yards W.
