A memorial service was held Sunday morning in the lobby of the B.B. Dougherty administrative building for students who passed away while attending the university.
The service is an annual event that the families of the lost students are all invited to attend.
“This is a chance to pause from our busy schedules to reflect and remember,” Chancellor Kenneth Peacock said.
Dean of Students J.J. Brown read 105 names of the students as their families received a rose from the administration.
Reading the names was a very “humbling experience” for Brown, he said.
“I’m also honored to represent those students,” Brown said.
All 105 names are on a plaque in the lobby of B.B. Dougherty.
This year, Landon Hill’s name was added to the list along with seven other students.
Hill died Nov. 23, 2011 while studying abroad in Seville, Spain.
Swati Rayasam, a biology major from UNC-Chapel Hill, was a friend of Hill’s.
The event was “lovely,” she said.
“I’m glad we hold this event to show that the university has support for the families,” Rayasam said.
The staff that attended remained in the lobby after the service to speak with the families.
“I think [the memorial service] is extremely important for the Appalachian family because these young people that we have lost whether it was, ten or fifteen years ago, they are still part of us,” Peacock said. “They made a contribution, they touched the life of this campus. As a parent I cannot imagine the road that these [families] have had to walk.”
Story: JOSHUA FARMER, Intern News Reporter