Fallen students’ memory lives on through friends

    Several students at GCSU are doing whatever they can to help keep the memory alive of their friends who passed away last year. Tommy Canavan, 19, a Chemistry major at GCSU, was killed July 8 in Dalton. Evan Luke, a 20-year-old management major at GCSU, was killed Oct. 31, 2005. 
    Casey Cater, a sophomore at GCSU and a close friend of Canavan, has experienced ongoing support from the Milledgeville area.
    “The support from just people at Georgia College has been amazing,” Carter says.
    Friends of Canavan and Luke have found different ways to help them deal with the pain of losing a dear friend. 
    Casey Carter has taken advantage of the Counseling Center services provided by the GCSU campus. Carter meets regularly with a support group to talk about what has happened.
    “The counseling services have been a huge help. The support group has been a beneficial part of the healing process,” says Carter. “As a group, we are so much closer now.”
    Facebook is another outlet for many who are still mourning the loss of their friends. Luke’s and Canavan’s Facebook walls have been covered with comments from friends and classmates since their deaths. 
    Travis Kelly, a member of Kappa Sigma at GCSU was in the same fraternity as Luke. He recently posted:
    “What’s up brother, another fall semester is starting, wish you were here to share it with all of us. No new fall will be the same without you, but we all know you are with us in spirit. Love ya brother A.E.K.D.B.”
    Carrie Dagenhard, a mass communication major at GCSU and a friend of Canavan, sees Facebook as just another way to help in the healing process.
    “Death is difficult to deal with but Facebook helps because I am able to write to Tommy and update him on what’s going on in our lives and that makes me feel better,” says Dagenhard.
    Facebook walls of other students who have passed away are similar to Luke’s and Canavan’s. Allan Duncan, a GCSU student who died in January, has had friends leave him comments on his Facebook wall as well. The most recent post was written by Kenny Carden, a GCSU student and Duncan’s friend since high school. 
    He writes, “So your (picture) keeps poppin’ up on my gcsu friend list, I think this is the third time this week, I really still can’t grasp what has happened.”
    Johny Ricks, president of the GCSU chapter of Kappa Sigma, says Luke’s death, although a tragedy, has brought the brothers of Kappa Sigma together.
    “Evan’s death has helped us to grow closer as a fraternity and as friends,” says Ricks. 
    Kappa Sigma has a My Brothers Keeper program that helps deal with tragic events along with other important issues.
    “We have an alumni who is in charge of My Brothers Keeper program. The program is one that brings brothers together when tragic events occur as well as help deal with alcohol awareness, drug prevention and other things,” says Ricks. “Brothers of Kappa Sigma were able to get together with him to talk about what happened.”
    Kappa Sigma has been working hard to get a benefit concert put together in honor of Evan Luke. The concert is tentatively planned for this semester. All proceeds from this event will go to the Evan Luke Scholarship and each year the scholarship will be given to a deserving member of Kappa Sigma.
    “Kappa Sigma is hoping to at least raise $500 to $1,000 for the scholarship,” Ricks said.  “The brothers are really looking forward to this event and we are hoping that each year the scholarship continues to grow.”
    Carter and other friends of Canavan are in the process of putting together a concert in memory of their friend. T-shirts are also being made that will help keep Canavan’s memory alive.
    “We want to do something personal because anyone who knew Tommy knows how awesome he was,” says Carter.
    There is a scholarship that is in memory of Canavan as well. All proceeds will go to the New Creation Center, which is a home-school-based private school. Canavan attended the center before enrolling at GCSU last fall.
    If you would like to donate money to the scholarship fund that is in memory of Thomas “Tommy” Dexter Canavan contact the McIntosh State Bank in Jackson.
    Evan Luke and Tommy Canavan are no longer with us but they are remembered by their friends and fellow classmates here at GCSU.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 8 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry