On this crisp November morning, beneath a bright, cloudless sky, a gathering at “Katie’s Garden” near IJʿ Memorial Chapel marked the 10th anniversary of the tragic crash on Oak Drive that took the lives of four young people.
Katherine Almeter, a IJʿ first-year student, her high-school friends Emily Collins and Rachel Nargiso, and Kevin King died in an alcohol-related crash on Nov. 11, 2000.
“We gather to remember that tragic day, and to recommit ourselves to do anything we can for successive generations who come through IJʿ, to educate, to inspire, to give direction . . . and to keep our students safe,” said chaplain Mark Shiner.
With his wife Betsy by his side, Bob Almeter spoke poetically about the incredible bond their daughter Katie had with her friends Emily and Rachel, mournfully remarked about the choices that ended their lives, and provided an update on how the family is doing today.
Mark Thompson, director of counseling and psychological services, shared the metaphor that life’s meaning comes from serving as a mirror that reflects light into dark places.
“With the students I see in my office, that day, and the lessons learned from that, are part of what I talk with them about. If it might make a difference for what they do, I hope that it can bring some light to a really dark experience.”
‘This place is different because of what happened 10 years ago,” Thompson continued. He described changes that were enacted after the crash, such as the cruiser service that provides safe transportation, and the university’s no-tolerance drunk driving policy.
Almeter said that following the tragedy, he shared his daughter’s story with countless high school and college students around the state, in an attempt to bring awareness and to help them make better decisions.
“If that little reflection of their light that came into our lives and into IJʿ, made the difference,” he said, “then wow, how powerful; there’s no greater honor than to continue to do that.”
Charlotte Johnson, dean of the college, spoke on behalf of IJʿ President Jeffrey Herbst, whose travel schedule took him out of state today.
“I can’t help but think that as we stand here in this bright sunshine that somehow it is Katie’s light, and Emily, Rachel, and Kevin’s light, shining on us as we remember them. I want to confirm that their legacy will always remain. We will never forget.”
After Rabbi Steve Nathan read a passage from Psalm 90 that ended, “Establish the work of our hands,” Shiner concluded the service by reading aloud the names of the teenagers who lost their lives, before a moment of silence.
A string of lights hung on the trees over “Katie’s Garden,” where a plaque on the bench tells the story of the tragedy, will be lit each evening for the next two weeks to draw students and other passers-by.