The lives of students, faculty, staff and emeriti are commemorated at an annual memorial ceremony at Paris-Yates Chapel in Oxford, Miss., Wednesday, April 30, 2014. (DM Photo/Cady Herring)
The University of Mississippi held its annual memorial ceremony Thursday in Paris-Yates Chapel to commemorate the lives of students, faculty, staff and emeriti who passed away during this academic year.
This year’s ceremony honored the lives of 23 members of the Ole Miss family. The members honored included eight students who lost their lives and 15 members of the staff, faculty and faculty emeriti.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Brandi Hephner LaBanc said the ceremony was very meaningful to her.
“I think we’re a campus community that calls themselves a family, and that all families take time to think and reflect on who they’ve lost, and hopefully do that in a positive way,” Hephner LaBanc said.
The ceremony opened with a prelude and musical interlude performed by the University String Quartet and a welcome by Hephner LaBanc. The names were then read of each student, staff and faculty member and faculty emeritus of the university who was lost during the past academic year.
As each name was read, family members of the deceased stood up and placed a gardenia flower in a bowl of water at the front of the chapel. Following the ceremony, the bells of Paris-Yates tolled once for each life lost, and the Massenet University String Quartet performed a postlude, “Alma Mater.”
ASB President Davis Rogers attended the event, which he said was special for him.
“I attended for the first time last year as a Column Society member,” Rogers said. “Each one of the names read aloud today was a beloved member of this Ole Miss family, whether it was a faculty, staff member or student. I was honored with the privilege of speaking on behalf of the students at this ceremony and honoring their lives as members of this university.”
Austin Vitale, vice president of the Columns Society, the student organization that hosts events for the university, said that the ceremony is an opportunity to give back to the community.
“Even though it’s a difficult thing to do, I feel it’s also a good thing to do in a meaningful way,” Vitale said. “I think it’s touching that even at this moment, (the deceased) are still able to be a part of the Ole Miss family, and they always will be.”
Rogers said he thinks the memorial is a good way to get the university to come together.
“I think it’s an interesting concept in this ceremony that members from the faculty, staff and also students are all honored at the same time,” Rogers said. “This university is not just the students, it’s not just the staff, and it’s not just the faculty — it’s all of us together.”
Students remembered were Leslie Caroline Cooper, Kevin Egan, Christopher Grimaud, Zacharias (Zach) Herculese McClendon, Charles (Charlie) King, James Calman McCastlain, Park Stevens and Parris Wallace.
Faculty, staff and emeriti remembered were William “Bill” M. Anderson, Jr., Kenneth R. Bender, Maxine E. Blackburn, James N. Butler, Joseph Arthur Cimon, John Lawrence Culver, John R. Fawcett, Jr., Michael D. Featherstone, John A. Fox, Charles R. Gates, Lela Maxine Harper, Raymond C. Highsmith, Susan L. Mossing, Chester L. Quarles and Robert L. Tettleton.
