OYSTER - The founder of an effort to build a waterman's memorial here hopes to raise more than $200,000 for her planned tribute to those who risk - and sometimes lose - their lives working on the water,

Rita Hutton and members of the Friends of Virginia Waterman's Memorial on the Eastern Shore have worked to pursue the realization of a collective dream: a memorial to working watermen and women who have been lost at sea, and a place where those left behind can come and talk about their shared losses.

A model representing the planned sight honoring those lost has been completed. It includes a wall of granite that will be engraved with the names of all those who gave their lives working the waters off the Virginia coast.

People are encouraged to contact the group with information about those who have perished so that the list of names will be complete.

The memorial will also feature a sculpture of a waterman looking out to sea on a waterfront land donated by Northampton county. The drawing for the sculpture's design was chosen through a contest among Virginia schools. Elizabeth Weir, a junior at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, was awarded a $500 savings bond for her winning work.

The plan also has been expanded to include a large scale model lighthouse, as well as landscaped walkways and sitting areas. The model currently stands in Hutton's living room in Oyster.

Hutton is hopeful about the fund-raising, despite the fact it seems an enormous amount to her.

She knows of two memorials in New Jersey that cost approximately $200,000, but another in Maryland cost $300,000. She said it is hard to know the exact price because of many considerations, including engraving costs.

Hutton's commitment comes from a desire to bring closure to her own tragic loss. In 1992, her son, Michael, was lost at sea, and his body was never recovered.

"If we can raise the money to build this memorial, then I will know my son did not dies in vain," she said.

Shore radio station WVES 99.3 FM will hold a 7 AM on-air auction of goods and services to help raise money for the memorial in Saturday, March 20,

Items valued at $100 or more will be posted on line. The staff of WVES will be donating its time on-air for listeners to bid on all the products gathered by the memorial committee.

Last week Hutton was rattled by an act of vandalism against the future sight of the memorial. One night during the week, the driver of a pick-up truck rammed the sign, damaging it exensively.

According to police reports, it was a random act of drunken vandalism. The driver was arrested and has repaired the sign.