April 26, 2008

Student Tragedy: PLU Students Killed in Auto Accident

Statement from Dr. Loren Anderson, PLU President:

I write to you this morning with the heartbreaking news of the death of two PLU students.

On Friday evening while traveling through Eastern Washington, PLU students Jocelyn Denham and Brady Freeman, were killed in an automobile accident near Brewster, Wash. Brady's twin brother, Boone, a student at the University of Puget Sound, was injured in the crash.

Members of the campus community gathered late Friday in Olson Auditorium to remember their friends and to offer one another mutual support in this time of grief. There was also a pause for remembrance and reflection during the campus Relay for Life event that was held on campus overnight Friday into Saturday morning.

A community gathering to remember Jocelyn and Brady and to pray for the recovery of Boone will be held near the PLU track, across from Olson Auditorium, on Saturday at 11 a.m., immediately following the conclusion of Relay for Life. Grief counselors and support staff will be available.

A student gathering Saturday in The Cave at 8 p.m. will be hosted by ASPLU and RHA. On Sunday night at 9 p.m., a candlelight prayer vigil will be held on Red Square near Eastvold Hall. Chapel service on Monday at 10:30 a.m. will provide an additional time for prayer and remembrance. Details of a memorial service will be announced.

Customary resources are available to students and other members of the campus community who are in need of counseling support.

Please join me in remembrance of Jocelyn and Brady, whose lives were so tragically cut short, in support of their family and friends, and in prayers for the swift recovery of Boone.

Loren J. Anderson
President

(Editor's Note: Brady Freeman was a starting offensive lineman on the Pacific Lutheran football team. Boone Freeman is an offensive lineman on the Puget Sound football team.)