Memorial to commemorate crash victims’ lives
A memorial will be unveiled Wednesday honoring the eight students and one instructor from the college of agriculture who died in a tragic van accident almost four years ago, said Jennifer Major, a junior in agricultural business.
The idea of the memorial was thought up through combined efforts from students in the college of agriculture, members of ASUSU and the university’s administration, said Braden Jensen, ASUSU senator for the college of Agriculture.
Mark DeGraffenried, a Utah State alumnus, was chosen to sculpt the memorial which consists of nine panels, each dedicated to each individual victim, Jensen said.
The memorial is being created to help students remember the victims’ lives and dedication to agriculture, Jensen said.
“There is a panel for each person who lost their lives to honor their living family members. The families were invited by DeGraffenried to add their touch to each panel,” Jensen said.
Each of the sculptures reflects an agricultural interest of each victim, and contains the names of each indvidual, Jensen said.
The victims of the September 2005 crash are D. Bair, 22; Dusty Dean Fuhriman, 22; Justin W. Gunnell, 24; Justin Huggins, 22; Jonathan Dennis Jorgensen, 22; Curt A. Madsen, 23; Ryan Wayne McEntire; Bradley G. Wilcox, 26 and instructor Evan Parel Parker, 45, Major said.
Jensen said the memorial couldn’t come at a better time with one of the accident’s two survivors on the verge of graduation. He said it would be a good opportunity for the survivors to honor their peers and help the USU community learn about the victims’ lives.
Major said, “It’s sad that we’ve forgotten about (the accident) so quickly, it will be nice to have something to remind us.”
Jensen said, “It’s important to remember the tragedy that happened, and to remember (the victims’) passion for education and agriculture.”
The memorial will be unveiled privately to the victims’ families Tuesday night and publicly Wednesday from 3 to 5 pm. The dean of the college of agriculture, DeGraffenried and Utah State President Stan Albrecht are expected to speak at the unveiling Wednesday night, Jensen said. The memorial will temporarily remain in the Juniper Lounge in the TSC until it is moved to its permanent home in the new Agricultural Science Building.
-beck.turner@aggiemail.usu.edu