Remarks at Kalamazoo College Candlelight Vigil,
February 22, 2000
As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Week
Written and Read by Rick Omilian, Maggie's Stepfather
MAGGIE WARDLE WAS ONLY 19 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE WAS KILLED HERE ON THE CAMPUS OF KALAMAZOO COLLEGE. SHE WAS JUST BEGINNING TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. WE ARE LEFT WONDERING WHERE MAGGIE'S INTERESTS MIGHT HAVE LED HER. BUT WE DO KNOW THIS ABOUT MAGGIE.
AFTER WORKING ON THE BUILDING BLOCK PROJECT IN THE EDISON NEIGHBORHOOD WITH LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS, SHE WROTE:
"I AM NO LONGER CONTENT TO LIVE A PRIVATE LIFE AND CONCERN MYSELF ONLY WITH AFFAIRS THAT I PERCEIVE TO AFFECT ME. (I NOW) REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT HAVING A PRIVATE LIFE IS AND THE THINGS THAT I DO IN MY PUBLIC LIFE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I FORSEE MYSELF RAISING A FAMILY EVENTUALLY, AND I DO NOT WANT TO PASS ON TO THEM A WORLD WHICH I HAVE MADE NO ATTEMPT TO BETTER."
THAT WAS WHAT MAGGIE WANTED TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER FOR THOSE WHO CAME AFTER HER. SINCE SHE IS NO LONGER WITH US, YOU MUST CARRY ON FOR HER. YOU MUST CARRY HER DREAM WITH YOU AS YOU GO FORWARD WITH YOUR LIVES. YOU MUST DO WHAT MAGGIE CANNOT DO NOW.
CARRY HER SENSE OF JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS WITH YOU THROUGH YOUR REMAINING YEARS ON THIS CAMPUS. YOU MUST STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU ARE FACED WITH ACTS OF INJUSTICE TO WOMEN HERE.
CARRY MAGGIE IN YOUR HEART WHEN YOU LEAVE THIS CAMPUS AND GO OFF TO OTHER PURSUITS IN YOUR LIVES.
CARRY MAGGIE'S SPIRIT WITH YOU WHEN YOU GO INTO THE WORKPLACE. INSIST ON FAIRNESS AND EQUITY FOR ALL WORKERS ESPECIALLY FEMALES AND MINORITIES.
CARRY HER LOVE AND COMPASSION WITH YOU AND LET IT SHINE WHEN YOU RAISE YOUR CHILDREN. TEACH THEM TO RESPECT OTHERS AND DESPISE VIOLENCE AS A SOLUTION TO ANYTHING.
CARRY MAGGIE'S MEMORYWHENEVER YOU ENCOUNTER OTHERS WHO MAY DISMISS THE NATURE OR PREVALENCE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN OUR SOCIETY. TELL THEM WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT IT BECAUSE YOU WERE HERE ON THIS CAMPUS WHEN MAGGIE WAS KILLED IN A CRUEL, SELFISH ACT OF VIOLENCE.
IF ANYONE OF YOU HAD DIED THE WAY SHE DID, SHE WOULD BE SO OUTRAGED. SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN SO DETERMINED IN HER PURSUIT OF JUSTICE, OF FAIRNESS THAT SHE WOULD NEVER STOP UNTIL SOMETHING AND EVERYTHING WAS DONE TO MAKE THIS CAMPUS AND THIS SOCIETY SAFER FOR WOMEN.
LET THAT BE HER LEGACY. THAT MAGGIE WOULD HAVE DONE EVERYTHING TO MAKE THIS WORLD BETTER AND SAFER FOR ALL OF US. NOW WE MUST DO THE SAME FOR HER.
LET US NOT FORGET THE OTHER WOMEN WHO DIED OR WERE INJURED RECENTLY ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES ACROSS THIS COUNTRY INCLUDING:
·KATHLEEN ROSKOT, A 19 YEAR OLD COLLEGE SOPHOMORE, KILLED FEBRUARY 5TH BY HER BOYFRIEND AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY.
·CHIMERE MCCRAE, 18, A FRESHMAN AT MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY IN NEW JERSEY KILLED IN JANUARY BY HER BOYFRIEND.
·JOY THOMAS, 18, WHO WAS SHOT BY HER EX-BOYFRIEND AT WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN NEW YORK THIS MONTH.
IN EACH CASE LIKE MAGGIE'S, THE MALE PERPETRATOR KILLED HIMSELF AFTERWARD.
HOW MANY MORE WOMEN WILL HAVE TO BE INJURED OR KILLED LIKE THIS BEFORE WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
DEDICATION OF TREE AND BENCH IN MEMORY OF MAGGIE
By DR. DAVID E. BARCLAY, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY
KALAMAZOO COLLEGE, JUNE 7, 2000
It is appropriate that we should gather on such a beautiful morning to remember our friend and student, Maggie. This is the time of year when the butterflies that she loved so much are present in great abundance, and remind us both of her love of life and her love or learning. And the butterflies that she loved remind us too of the fragility of life, and thus of the myriad ways in which we're all bound together.
Today is an occasion for remembrance, for reflection, for sadness, but also for joy in having known Maggie. As I said to my class last October, all of us who knew Maggie were blessed with a special privilege. One of the things that makes the academic profession itself so special is the opportunity to encounter remarkable individuals at a critical time of their lives. Maggie was one of those individuals, one of those people who make everything that we do ultimately worthwhile.
She was one of the reasons why people like us stay in this business. Her love of learning, her wide-ranging interests from biology to political science to history, her exceptional intelligence and acute analytic abilities, her competitiveness, her commitment to excellence in athletics, her commitment to community service and to helping others: all these combined to make her the extraordinary human being that she was.
I've been in college teaching for a lone time, and I think that any of us who have spent some time in it, especially at a place like this, as a matter of course become talent spotters; indeed, I quickly realized that Maggie had the potential to be one of the very best history students of the decade. Moreover, she was just beginning to become truly aware of how bright she was, and just how important her contribution to all of us could be. So our loss remains terrible indeed, and that loss a loss for myself, for my field of study, of this College, for all her close friends, for all who knew her, for the future she was looking forward to so eagerly, and above all, of course, for her family will continue to be with us. But we are here today both to reflect and to commemorate.
When I spoke to my students last fall, I called upon them and upon myself to dedicate this year to Maggie, and I also noted that none of us who knew her will ever forget her. She will always be a part of our own lives for as long as we are here, but this dedication this morning of this tree and bench, will also help to ensure that Maggie's legacy, and our memory of her, will live on as part of this community forever.
It was my own wonderful privilege to have known her, and I shall always be thankful for it, just as I'm thankful to you for giving me the opportunity to speak on this occasion.
This tree and bench will always remain a special place for all of us in this community.
MEMORIAL DEDICATION PRAYER
BY REV. KENNETH W. SCHMIDT, PASTOR
ST. THOMAS MORE STUDENT PARISH
KALAMAZOO COLLEGE, JUNE 7, 2000
Let us bless our God, the all-powerful Creator of the earth, and the sea, and sky. God's providence bestows upon us this land to make a home, to cultivate for our sustenance, and to reveal the beauty and power of the Divine One.
In the Book of Genesis, we hear that when God created the heavens and the earth, God said, "Let the earth bring forth vegetation, every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened: the earth brought fourth every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw how good it was God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good."
And so, God, we give you thanks for the beauties of your creation, each of which contains the spark of your divine life. Every flower, plant and tree is another revelation of the gift of life that you share with us so freely and abundantly.
May the shade of this tree offer respite and its fruit be nourishment. May its passing through the seasons remind us of the cycle of all life. May this tree, that we plant in memory of Maggie, be a reminder to us of your gift of life. May this bench and tree be for this campus a place of memory, a space for reflection, a place of hope, and a living promise of eternal life.
BY GARY DORRIEN, DEAN OF STETSON CHAPEL,
KALAMAZOO COLLEGE
BACCALAUREATE PRAYER, JUNE 9. 2000
In this sanctuary, we have held three memorial services for students and one for a young professor since the last Baccalaureate. Tonight is not the occasion for special mention of the impact of these terrible losses on our community in the past year that occasion will come tomorrow at Commencementbut neither can we gather in this place on this night without acknowledging at the outset that our hearts ache at the loss of cherished friends who were members of this community at this time last year, especially Maggie. When we pray, we pray with them steadfast in mind.
Every-gracious God, we are mindful of this poignant evening of the ties that bind us one to another and the college's past in the on-going history of the college. Teach us to build upon the inheritance we have received, giving thanks for the many blessings of our lives and the educational opportunities we have enjoyed. For the beauty of friendship and for the precious memories that we take from this place, give us grateful hearts. For the heartrending loss of friends, taken from us much too soon, make us witnesses to their goodness and keepers of their memory. In all things, keep us mindful of the needs of those tonight who are hungry, forgotten or oppressed; move us to sustain the beauty and integrity of creation; and lift our voices under the shadow of thy hand to serve the ends of justice and mercy. Amen.
COMMENCEMENT PRAYER, JUNE 10, 2000
Let us pray. At the outset of this occasion of remembrance, appreciation and celebration, we remember that this year began with heartbreaking memorial services for three extraordinary people taken from us in their youth Jessica, a political science major who was killed in a car accident; Ben, a physics professor who died of a heart attack; Charles, a theater major who died after many years of illness. Each of these remarkable people made an unforgettable personal impact on this community. We were still reeling from the tragedy and grief of their loss when a singular horror struck this campus in October. The murder of a gifted, radiant student, Maggie, by a fellow student and his suicide, left us in a state of horrified grief too painful for words. The memory of Maggie's great promise and goodness, and the terrible, anguished, maddening shock of her loss remain with us so vividly that even no, words are difficult to find or speak.
Yet words were found, throughout the year: gestures of care and tender feeling were make in abundance; networks of mutual care and violence-resisting action were forged. Out of its grief and loss, this class found new ways of addressing the plague of violence against women in our society and made this jewel of a college more of a community. On this special day we give thanks for the community of family and friends and colleagues who have brought us to this day and strengthened us for the days to come.
Ever-gracious God, in the silence of this moment, on this extraordinary day, give us grateful hearts for the multitude of blessings that enrich our lives, make us witnesses to the memory and goodness of our departed friends, and renew our spirits for the days to come. We give thanks for all who have nourished us and made this day possible: for parents and guardians, friends and colleagues, faculty mentors and supporters. We give thanks for others who have been the college's caretakers: trustees and administrators, clerical staff and maintenance workers, food service workers and security guards, alums and friends of the college. In the splendor of this moment, surrounded by those who care most for us, may we find the grace of gratitude for the blessings of our lives, and may we find the courage and care to stand up for justice in a world of violence and oppression. In your many names, we pray. Amen.
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For article in Kalamazoo Gazette about appearance of internationally known author, Marianne Williamson at Kalamazoo College, April 26, 2000, to help heal students after Maggie's death, click here.
For pictures and remarks by Rick and Martha at Million Mom March, May 14, 2000, on the steps of the Lansing State Capitol, click here.
For remarks by Rick on behalf of Maggie's family at the "First Monday: Unite Against Gun Violence" event on Monday, October 2, 2000, at Kalamazoo College, click here.
For more tributes on the first anniversary of Maggie's death, click here.
