Grief was met with a glimmer of hope on Monday evening as dozens congregated in the D.P. Culp Center to honor the lives of eight students, staff and faculty members who passed away this past year.
In the opening of the commemoration, Student Government Association President Mason Mosier welcomed guests and expressed his great sorrow for the eight lives lost at ETSU: Alyssa Adams, Joanna Bishop, Brian Clark, Emma Fila, Whitney Hill, Ricki Kaplan, Brian Odle and A. Grace Pearson.
Dr. Brian Noland, ETSU President, then reflected on these individuals who, together, helped define ETSU.
“Each of the individuals that we celebrate tonight impacted the lives of those around them,” said Noland. “That’s the magic that makes this campus shine: the rays of light that come from the people we meet along our journey.”
In an emotional invocation and prayer, Rev. Jonathan Chapman, the campus minister of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, spoke on finding hope in times of pain and suffering.
“For some of us, the shock of loss is fresh and we are numb, but the pain is surreal and our picture of life is shattered,” said Rev. Chapman. “For some of us, we have put the pieces back together, but the resulting picture has gaps where pieces are missing.”
Staff Senate President Joy Fulkerson and Faculty Senate President Stephen Hendrix united to light eight candles in remembrance of the four students and four staff members who passed away. The candle lighting was followed by a brief moment of silence to honor their lives.
The evening came to a close as three members of the ETSU String Ensemble performed a moving piece, leaving few dry eyes in the audience.
“Once a Buc, always a Buc,” said Mosier in his closing remarks.
