A community of students, faculty, staff and families gathered in the misty air Thursday, April 18, at the UCA amphitheater, to honor the lives of students and current and retired faculty who have died this year.
Student musicians Levana Xu, Javier Antelo, Elizabeth Calixto and Carlos Campanur, seated to the left of a row of chairs of university representatives, performed somber, orchestral chamber pieces on violin, viola and cello as people filed to the stone seats.
Robin Williamson, the vice president for student affairs, welcomed guests to the ceremony.
Williamson then invited Patricia Poulter, UCA provost, to the microphone to speak of the purpose of memorializing people who have made a difference on campus.
The proceedings continued when Kelly Owens, UCA Dean of Students, read one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s walking songs: “Roads Go Ever On,” followed by a performance by the student quartet.
Following the quartet’s finish, Colby Wilson, the SGA president, moved to the podium and recited Margaret Mead’s “Remember Me.”
Kennedy Holland, Miss UCA 2024, then stepped up to the podium to serenade the crowd with Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
The crowd applauded when Holland concluded, and three university representatives read through a list of students and faculty that have passed away. Wilson read through the names of students; Vaughn Scribner, the faculty senate president, listed the names of former and retired faculty members; Jenny Ruud, the Staff Senate President, ended by naming former and retired staff members.
The reading was followed by a moment of silence.
Afterward, Poulter and Marvin Williams, a student success coordinator, delivered the UCA alma mater to the audience.
Robin Williamson noted the importance of the event.
“This memorial service is one way that we honor and pay tribute to those bears who have left an indelible mark,” Williamson said.
Williamson then gestured to the garden outside the Ferguson Memorial Chapel. “Those gardens are a space to commemorate forever Bears, while serving as a reminder of how what comes before nourishes the environment, and creates a space for other beautiful things to take root and grow,” Williamson said.
Student Dru Gillian offered her thoughts on the proceeding.
“I think it’s very honorable and admirable to want to honor people, even the ones who have retired. I think it’s to promote family across campus for those who are still here and those who aren’t.”
Gillian attended in honor of Clifton Bell, a student who passed away over Easter weekend. “Clifton left a mark on every student that he came in contact with, and staff. And, just being heavily involved in Chi Alpha, got to change a lot of people’s lives,” Gillian said.
Williamson said the annual event is important for the community.
“I think, in a community that is 10,000-plus people, it’s important to find a space and a place to come together and honor and remember those that we’ve lost in a way that feels comforting and celebratory of their lives and accomplishments, but also soothing and comforting for those that they’ve left behind,” Williamson said.