ATO president Ryne St. Marie flips through a scrapbook of condolence letters compiled after the tragedy. (Photo/Thomas Graning)
Beginning at 5 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Paris-Yates Chapel, The University of Mississippi and ATO alumni will hold a ten-year anniversary ceremony to remember the three boys lost in the ATO house fire in 2004.
The ceremony will honor William Townsend from Clarksdale Mississippi, Howard Stone form Martinsville, Virginia, and Jordan Williams,from Atlanta, Georgia, who were killed in the fire.
Al Bell, who serves as the board of trustees chairman for the ATO chapter and is now and was an advisor at the time of the fire, is really looking forward to the event. Bell remembers how hard it was for the members of ATO to cope with the loss.
“I knew those guys were going through probably either the most tragic event that they had ever experienced in their lifetime at that time,” Bell said. “It was probably the most tragic event that I have experienced as well.”
According to Bell, the loss was harder on the chapter members than he initially thought it to be. Bell said everyone had different ways of coping with the losses, but there has been one thing that stood out.
“Coping with the grief was a group effort, with everybody in the chapter leaning on each other.”
One thing Bell is still grateful for today is the community and their support after the incident.
“Another way the students coped and also helped me with coping was the outpour of love and support that we all got from not only the university but also the Oxford community.”
Bell knew all three boys who passed in the fire and remembers them from what he heard from others. Townsend had a personality larger than life, and if you met him, you would never forget him. Stone was a little quieter but was known as the best of friends among his pledge class. Williams was more of a free spirit, who was really into Widespread Panic-type of music.
According to Bell, a lot of people said they could see any of the three boys being good leaders for their chapter in the future.
When looking back on the incident, Bell believes the accident was completely out of anyone’s hands.
“I don’t believe any of us had ever thought there was something we could have done to prevent the fire,” he said. “I think it was just one of those things, almost like an earthquake or tornado.”
Ryne St. Marie, current ATO president and senior marketing major, said he could not imagine what he would have done if that incident had occurred today.
“It is surreal to wake up one morning and see this place on fire and realize that I have lost three of my best friends,” St. Marie said.
According to St. Marie, once someone accepts a bid from ATO the first thing they learn is about the fire.
“It is just something we hold so close to us because the house that you are in every day is exactly where it happened on campus,” St. Marie said.
Maggie McDaniel
mhmcdani@go.olemiss.edu
