University of South Carolina: FOREVER TO THEE

Dennis Pruitt, university vice president for student affairs, gives the opening remarks at the memorial service.

November 7, 2007

Remarks by Dennis Pruitt, university vice president for student affairs

Eleven days ago, on October 28, 2007, thirteen very close college friends, thirteen young people like many of you gathered here today, faced an horrific experience--a fire swept through the beach house in which they were staying. Six students: Katherine Auman, Ray Charles, Ashley Perdue, Andrew Rhea, Fallon Sposato and Tripp Wiley survived, and are with us here today with their families. We're thankful, that with the support of your families and your communities, you're recovering. We're here for you.

Sadly, seven others, six of whom were outstanding students at their beloved University of South Carolina, died on that tragic fall morning. Justin Anderson, Travis Cale, Lauren Mahon, Cassidy Pendley, William Rhea and Allison Walden all died peacefully in their sleep. Emily Yelton, a close friend from Greenville, also died peacefully. Emily was an accomplished student at Clemson University, which celebrated her life in an earlier service on their campus, as we now will do today for our University of South Carolina students. The families of these college friends are now eternally linked by these events, and they all join us today for this service.

To our families: thank you all for gracing us with your presence; we know the agony and grief that have burdened you this past week. For we have now had seven funerals, seven beautiful testimonials to the vibrant lives, the friendships, the achievements of these seven fine young people. Still, we find we have an ache in our hearts, that just won't leave. But, we must carry on, folding our losses into our lives--we must each return our focus to living, living our lives in the same manner, with the same zest for life, as did those energetic students we remember today.

Others have reminded us that the ache we are feeling will never really go away. Instead, that ache eventually becomes condensed, tucked away in a corner somewhere in the recesses of our hearts. There the grief remains, dull and constant and subdued, until a birthday, or an anniversary, or a song or a sight triggers vivid memories of the ones we have lost, and then, we grieve again, ever so intensely.

Over time, our memories will prompt not only grief, but--more comforting--a deep and profound gratitude for the lives of each of these outstanding young people, for the gift that each of them was to us. And in time, that gratitude will temper our grief and will bring forth warm, healing memories. Those thoughts, those feelings of gratitude are what will endure, are what will carry us through our everyday living.

We hope that today's Memorial Service of Remembrance will help all of us do just that--help us all transform our personal losses into a force that moves our lives toward the future. And as importantly, through the messages from the words and music we will experience today, and through the mystique of our being here, together, in support of each other, we will add even more memories, many more wonderful memories, to help us begin the process of overcoming our grief--not that we will eliminate our grief, but so that we can tuck it away, in a little corner, of our hearts.

To each family and to each friend joining us today, we extend our deepest sympathy. We hope this Memorial Service of Remembrance will support your healing, and, for all of us in the Carolina family, will solidify the memories of those we loved so much--forever to thee.

Today's Memorial Service of Remembrance will follow your printed program, without additional introductions.

Remarks by Dennis Pruitt, university vice president for student affairs

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