Faculty and alumni gathered for the second annual University of Oregon Remembers to honor the lives of UO faulty, students, and retired staff who passed away during the past year. (Michael Arellano/Oregon Daily Emerald)
Some stood in close groups or sat in folding chairs before the podium. Some stood alone. They wore somber, formal clothes and sunglasses in the bright sun. They were there to respect and remember the memory of the deceased.
On Wednesday, the University held the second annual University of Oregon Remembers event, a simple gathering where names of University students, faculty, staff and other members of the University family who died in the last year were read aloud. The ceremony took place at on the Pioneer Mother Lawn between Johnson Hall and Gerlinger Hall. @@http://insideoregon.uoregon.edu/content/university-remember-staff-and-students-who-have-died@@
The trees swayed on a soft breeze while violinists from the School of Music played stirring pieces by Bach, Vivaldi and Pleyel. The music faded when Dave Hubin, senior assistant to the president, opened the ceremony by welcoming and thanking those in attendance. @@http://www.uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/David*Hubin@@
“This is the second annual gathering of what I believe will become a yearly tradition,” Hubin said.
He then introduced Interim President Robert Berdahl, who shared a brief history on how this event came to be. @@http://www.uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/Robert*Berdahl@@
Three years ago there was no University-wide event to recognize University community members who had died. Last year, former President Richard Lariviere brought the ceremony to the University. Lariviere had seen the tradition practiced at the University of Texas at Austin during his time there and when Berdahl was president of that institution. @@http://lariviere.uoregon.edu/@@
“We started this when I was president of the University of Texas,” Berdahl said later, after the ceremony concluded. “I brought the tradition to Berkeley when I was president of that school and Richard brought the tradition here.”
After Berdahl spoke, Hubin read out the list of those who had died over the last year, including 26 students, 22 faculty and 14 staff. After each name was read, a Thai Gong was rung. The somber ring of the gong reverberated through those gathered. @@http://insideoregon.uoregon.edu/content/university-remember-staff-and-students-who-have-died@@
Senior Assistant to the President David Hubin reads aloud the names of former faculty, students, and alumni of the University who passed away during the last year. Faculty and alumni gathered on the Pioneer Mother Lawn for the second annual University of Oregon Remembers. (Michael Arellano/Oregon Daily Emerald)
At the conclusion of the reading, violins began playing again and the approximately 40 people in attendance drifted away.
Berdahl said he hopes the ceremony will become a larger campus tradition in future.
“I’d like to see more attendance obviously. Everyone is busy, but this it’s a nice thing to attend and it only takes a few minutes of your day. It’s just a way of coming together as a community and remembering,” Berdahl said.
He was one of the last to leave the ceremony, reflecting on those that had passed.
“What’s always amazing is the number of students who have died. The death of young people is so sad because of the potential lost,” Berdahl said. “It’s a reminder that life is fragile and precious.”
The full list of University members who were remembered at Wednesday’s ceremony:
Faculty
Marty Acker
Susan Anderson
Keith Aoki
Exine Bailey
Lawrence Carter
Mary Dole
Susan Guion Anderson
Svitlana Kravchenko
Steven Larson
Henry Loeb
Yoko (Matsuka) McClain
Kenneth Merrell
Ken Metzler
Perry Powers
James Rice
Stuart Rich
Jacquelyn Schachter
Frederick Seubert
Donald Tuax
Kingsley Weatherhead
Margaret Wiese
Celeste Ulrich
Staff
Hope Adams
Harper Bates
Jess Campbell
Nina Chapman
Hans Fuson
Kent Hardin
Linda Hopes
Lana Kelly
Robert Lund
Walter “Mac” McLaughlin
Richard Millhollin
Walter Parsons
Allan Price
Alec York
Students
Matthew Bitter
Paul Cochran
Melvin Delperdang
Aaron Ganz
Zane Gaulke
Ilonna Gherman
Brian Jones
Brian Kovarik
Rochelle Kremer
Jackson Lusk
Craig Macfie
Scott McKinnon
Sabrina McNamara
Lillian Pagenstecher
Elizabeth Pritchard
Andrei Rotheweiler
Michael Salzillo
Kjersti Sand
Jan Schneider
Daniel Self
Robert Sickles
Kelly Skjold
Michael Sorondo
Robert Swearingen
Mark Walden
UO Alumni Association Board Members
Dulcy Moran Mahar
Donald Thompson
Zollie Volchok
UO Foundation Trustees
Brian Booth
Carolyn Chambers
