Wreaths
Carolina
Remembers

Cassidy

William

Allison

Lauren

Justin

Travis

Emily

At the request of the victims' families, who have expressed a need for privacy, the University of South Carolina did not release the victims' names until North Carolina officials confirmed their identities. Privacy concerns also prevent the university from displaying photographs of the students.

Andrew SorensenDr. Andrew Sorensen, university president, delivers his remarks.

November 7, 2007

Remarks by Dr. Andrew Sorensen, university president

Our University touches the lives of many people--just as countless friends shape the role of our University throughout the world. To some, this campus is a place of reflection that offers respite from the hectic rhythm of our daily lives. To others, it is an invigorating force instilling in all who come near, its renewing energy, knowledge and ideas. But in either case, this University is not an island separating its citizens from the rest of the world. Rather, it is a powerful force connecting us all to one another.

Carolina is a community of strength. We Gamecocks share a common creed--the Carolinian Creed--dedicated to personal and academic excellence. Our mutual respect for its many core values pulls us together--to become one family, although we are composed of thousands of individuals from wonderfully diverse backgrounds. Among the many individuals in the entire Carolina community, I speak today most directly to the parents and families involved in our profound tragedy.

In all, seven vital young lives have been given up, six from Carolina and one from Clemson. They departed this life in that horrific burst of natural force--a force as unforeseen and unforeseeable as one can imagine. In its wake, it became our responsibility to grieve, to remember, to heal and to move forward without forgetting what might have been.

We honor them not only for the wealth of talent they embodied, but perhaps more importantly for the gifts they so selflessly shared with the world around them. We deeply respect what they might have accomplished in their bright futures. Jim Barker, president; Gail DiSabatino, vice president for student affairs; George Smith and Joy Smith, associate vice presidents for student affairs, all from Clemson University, join with us here to mourn their passing.

We also recognize and respect those Carolinians who so narrowly escaped this tragic accident. We give our special consolation to their extended families, SAE brothers and Tri Delta sisters, and honor their brothers and sisters throughout the student body--and in the respective communities in which they grew up--who share the burden of our grief with unique intimacy.

We salute Justin, Travis, Lauren, Cassidy, Will, Allison. We shall never forget the vitality they brought to our campus, to our Gamecock family, or the positive influence they had on the lives of countless friends. We shall carry with us their joyful pursuit of new experiences, unprecedented growth, and new beginnings.

Now it is we who must continue to pursue new beginnings. We live in a world shaped in part by these spirited young people. We must live up to the expectations they had for their fellow students, their faculty, and all who are part of the University of South Carolina.

We must move forward remembering what they would have asked from us, remembering why they came to this cherished haven of knowledge and progress and action. They are now forever part of our heritage and thus part of the momentum that compels us to continue our mission.

The Scripture these six Carolina students and Clemson student held close, proclaims clearly:

"For everything these is a season, a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. ..."

This memorial service is our special time to join hands as two University communities rich in tradition and remembrance, as well as hope and foresight and action. This is our time to cherish what is past and our time to accept the challenges bestowed upon us by those who are no longer in our midst.

Carolina and Clemson will continue to be improving and great Universities. Although we are unquestionably diminished by these losses, let us affirm boldly that our lives will be enriched through having been touched by those whom we remember today. We give thanks for the time they spent among us, and we pray for the perseverance and courage to fulfill their highest hopes for us.

I leave you with a special blessing, which seems particularly appropriate here and now:

"Life is short, and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those with whom we move along the way. So be swift to love; make haste to be kind; and may the peace of God be with you, and with all whom you love, indeed all your brothers and sisters near and far, both now and always."

Amen

The University of South Carolina Alma Mater
"We Hail Thee Carolina"
We hail thee, Carolina, and sing thy high praise
With loyal devotion, remembering the days
When proudly we sought thee, thy children to be:
Here's a health, Carolina, forever to thee!

 


Photo gallery

Memorial Service

Additional video

News conference, Oct. 29