Today i attended the memorial service for a fellow student...Gary Devercelley. I didnt know Gary at all - he was a freshman on the Rider Campus - he died because he drank to much alcohol at his frat house. It is the most awful thing - i was apart of a small group from Westminster who sang the Lutkin Benediction. It was set up by our friend Liz Tuker who also felt the sadness of the moment and thought we (as the singing campus) should do something. "It's what we do" - that was Liz's reason for putting it together. Unfortunately for me i sat an arm's length away from Gary's Mother, father and younger sister and brother. As you can imagine they wept through the entire service. I just couldnt take it. I am amazed at how some young people dont see that this sort of behaviour can lead death. The same thing happened on our campus a few years ago - that goodness the young man lived. I was able to see the faces of the young men and women in Gill Chapel as they tried to come to grips with what happened to them - it will take quite a while. In the meanwhile i wish young people would realize that somethings you simply cant take back.... -from all accounts Gary DeVercelley was a great young man, and if he could, would surely come back to his parents and say he was sorry and promise to never do it again...unfortunately he wont have that opportunity...a lesson to us all.
