The 2023-2024 University of Mississippi Memorial Ceremony, held on Thursday, May 2, in Paris-Yates Chapel, celebrated the lives of 15 faculty and staff members and students that passed away in the last year.
Chancellor Glenn Boyce welcomed the friends and families of those being honored.
“All of these valued members of our campus community were our colleagues,” Boyce said. “They were our mentors, students (and) neighbors. They brought warmth and light to this community.”
Boyce explained the familial connection that UM community members have with each other.
“When we lose a member of the Ole Miss community, we feel it deeply,” Boyce said. “We feel it individually, but we also feel it collectively.”
The names of those lost were read aloud while family members and friends placed flowers in front of the audience. The University of Mississippi Student String Quartet accompanied the memorial, including an interlude of Vivaldi’s “Spring” from “The Four Seasons” and Massenet’s Bach Meditation “Air from the Suite in D.”
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Noel Wilkin delivered the closing remarks.
“We cannot deny the incredible bonds we feel with each other in this community,” Wilkin said. “We challenge each other, laugh together, cry together, create new knowledge, discover new phenomena and advance perspectives through our creativity.”
Wilkin emphasized the importance of living life to the fullest and loving others deeply.
“Let us use these reflections of this celebration of their lives to motivate us to maximize the time that we have with those around us and maximize our talents to advance the things that we care deeply about,” Wilkin said.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Paris-Yates Chapel bells were tolled 15 times in honor of the 15 UM community members lost.
In Remembrance
Faculty
Dr. Richard “Rich” Raspet
Dr. William “Bill” Staton
Commander Brett Williams
Staff
Ms. Kimberly “Kim” MacIntosh
Ms. Sherrita “Shae” Murray
Students
Jonah Condon
Khaled Elhawy
Kylee Googe
Christopher Little
Sawyer Megehee
Andrew “Drew” Mitchell
Clifton Moore
Cole Murray
Cameron Parsons
Helen White
