Campus and School Violence and Tragedy
Be prepared for tomorrow's class with a brief 1-minute overview of two items from the following list. We will assign them in class in
the day before.
Focus on: 1) what happened; 2) what was done to memorialize the victims, if anything; 3) how did it take for these memorializations
to take place; 4) were there any controversies about these memorials. Be prepared to locate your site on Google Maps, Google Earth or
Bing Maps.
Date
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
University
Event
1903, 31 October
Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
Off campus train wreck (Indianapolis, IN)
Memorial Gymnasium (now Felix Haas Hall). Dedication of a tunnel in the football stadium on centennial.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdue_Wreck
1927, 22 January
Baylor University (Waco, TX)
Off campus bus hit by train
Marker at railroad crossing. Monument on campus. Remembrance at annual homecoming. Copeland (2006).
http://www.wacohistoryproject.org/Moments/Immortal_10.htm.
California Polytechnic State University (San Luis
1960, 29 October
Off campus plane crash (Toledo, OH)
Obispo, CA)
Memorial plaques at two campus locations. Memorial Plaza. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Poly_football_team_plane_crash
1965, 18-19 July
University of Texas (Austin, TX)
Off campus murder (Austin, TX)
No known memorials.
1966, 9 July
University of Colorado (Boulder, CO)
On campus murder
Memorial plaque on rock (2006). Urban legend of haunted death site (Macky Auditorium).
http://www.bouldercountyparanormal.com/macky.htm
South Chicago Community Hospital (now Advocate
1966, 14 July
Off campus murder (Chicago, IL) by Richard Speck
Trinity Hospital), Nursing School (Chicago, IL)
No known memorials.
1966, 1 August
University of Texas (Austin, TX)
On campus mass murder
Tower Garden Memorial dedicated in 1999, completed in 2007. Lavergne (1997). http://www.utexas.edu/events/tower/
Deaths
17
10
22
2
1
8
15*
1968, 8 February
South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, SC)
On campus shooting by local and state police
3
Memorial space on campus, gymnasium named for the slain, precipitating off-campus site marked (2000), annual remembrance ceremony.
Bass and Nelson (1999), Cram and Richardson (2009) http://www.orangeburgmassacre1968.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangeburg_massacre
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9
1969, 28 November
Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA)
On campus stabbing
Urban legend as haunted death site (Pattee Library). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_aardsma
10
1970, 4 May
Kent State University (Kent, OH)
On campus shooting by National Guard
4
Memorial at death site (1971, 1975), annual candlelight walk and vigil, Center for Peaceful Change, stained glass windows in library, May
4 Scholarships, memorial sculpture on campus (1990), various sculptures and markers on other US campuses. Bills (1982), Graham (2006),
Weiss (2008). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_Shootings
1970, 14-15 May
Jackson State University (Jackson, MS)
On campus shooting by state police
2
Renamed campus plaza, monument. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_state_killings ,
http://www.may41970.com/Jackson%20State/jackson_state_may_1970.htm, Spofford (1988)
1970, 24 August
University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI)
On campus bombing
1
Memorial plaque (2007) at bomb site (Sterling Hall). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_hall_bombing
1970, 2 October
Wichita State University (Wichita, KS)
Off campus plane crash (Silver Plume, CO)
31
Memorial monument on campus, small memorial at site, http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=MEMORIAL&p=/history/. Musical tribute “Waltzing
in Heaven” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_State_University_football_team_plane_crash ,
1970, 14 November
Marshall University (Huntington WV)
Off campus plane crash (near Huntington airport)
75
Memorial fountain on campus, bronze statue on campus, cenotaph at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, Memorial Highway (0.75 miles of
State Route 75 and 11.91 miles of US Route 52), renamed city street, plaque at crash site, plaque at East Carolina University (opponent in
last football game), memorial bell tower planned, commercial movie We Are Marshall (2006).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Airways_Flight_932.
1976, 12 July
California State University (Fullerton, CA)
On campus shooting
7
Grove of trees near site of murders in library.
1977, 13 December
University of Evansville (Evansville, IN)
Off campus plane crash (near Evansville airport)
29
Memorial Plaza with fountain. http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=750603
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
1
1978, 15 January
Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)
On campus bludgeoning
2
The last murders by serial killer Ted Bundy, who also killed women at other universities.
Photos of victims are kept in sorority house, memorial cross at one victim’s church, macabre “anti-memorials” in Florida the day Bundy
was executed in 1989. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_bundy ,
http://www.sptimes.com/News/112899/Floridian/Margaret_Bowman__1957.shtml
1984, 13 October
California State University (Fullerton, CA)
On campus shooting
1
Marker (1986) and scholarship honoring victim, Edward Cooperman. http://physics.fullerton.edu/student_awards.html. The marker honors
others who were murdered or committed suicide in the same period.
Off campus terrorist plane bombing (Lockerbie,
1988, 21 December
Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY)
270
Scotland)
Thirty-five Syracuse students and eleven students from four otherUS universities were among the victims. Memorial on campus, in
Lockerbie and in Arlington National Cemetery, annual “Remembrance Week,” Remembrance Scholarships for Syracuse students,
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20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
Lockerbie/Syracuse Trust Scholarships for UK students, “Dark Elegy” statuary assemblage. Various memorials in Scotland.
1991, 1 November
University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)
On campus shooting
Memorial plaque, rock, and tree at Physics Department. Memorial walkway. Memorial at Women's Resource and Action Center.
Bard College at Simon's Rock (Great Barrington,
1992, 14 December
On campus shooting
MA)
Spontaneous memorials, memorial Peace Grove, annual remembrance ceremony.
1995, 26 January
University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)
Off campus shooting (Chapel Hill)
One victim honored in same memorial as 1996 fire. No other known memorials.
1996, 12 May
University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)
Off campus fire (Chapel Hill)
Memorial at entry to arboretum donated by senior class of 1997.
1996, 15 August
San Diego State University (San Diego, CA)
On campus shooting
Memorial with tables near engineering building.
1996, 17 September
Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA)
On campus shooting
Spontaneous memorials & Peace Garden near site of shooting. http://www.campusmaps.psu.edu/buildings/peace.shtml
1996, 16 October
Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
On campus shooting
Spontaneous memorials and memorial fund to prevent drug abuse
1997, 21-22
University of Colorado (Boulder, CO)
Off campus murder (Boulder)
December
Spontaneous memorial, memorial tree and plaque, scholarship and campus safety fund to honor victim, Susannah Chase.
1998, 7 October
University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY)
Off campus murder (Laramie)
Spontaneous memorial, campus bench, web memorial, foundation. http://www.uwyo.edu/News/shepard/default.htm,
http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer
1999, 18 November
Texas A&M University (College Station, TX)
On campus collapse of bonfire construction
Spontaneous memorials and permanent memorial on site of bonfire collapse (2004). http://www.tamu.edu/bonfirememorial/
2000, 13 January
Kenyon College (Gambier, OH)
Off campus van crash (Coshocton, OH)
Memorial fund honoring student victim, Molly Hatcher.
2000, 19 January
Seton Hall University (S. Orange, NJ))
On campus arson at Boland Hall
Spontaneous memorials and garden.
2001, 27 January
Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)
Off campus airplane crash (Strasburg, CO)
Spontaneous memorials, memorial at crash site (2001) and on campus memorial. http://osu.okstate.edu/Colorado/
2001, 27 January
Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH)
Off campus murder (Etna, NH)
Zantop Memorial Garden and Zantop Memorial Lecture, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~earthsci/zantop.html.
2001, 18 May
Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA)
On campus shooting.
6*
2
2
5
3
1
2*
1
1
12
1
3
10
2
2*
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35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
Memorial on campus, web memorial, http://www.plu.edu/about/tours/art7.html, http://www.plu.edu/print/holloway/
2002, 16 January
Appalachian School of Law (Grundy, VA)
On campus shooting
http://www.asl.edu/memorial/resolution_204.php, http://www.asl.edu/memorial/index.php. No other known memorials.
2002, 28 November
University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ)
On campus shooting
Spontaneous memorials. "Tree of life" artwork at Nursing College. Victims also honored on campus Women's Plaza of Honor.
2003, 9 May
Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH)
On campus shooting
Scholarship, service award, and leadership award created in name of victim, Norman Wallace.
2006, 26 April
Taylor University (Upland, IN)
Van struck by truck (near Marion, OH)
Spontaneous memorials, vernacular memorial at accident site (I-69 near Marion). Prayer Garden on campus.
2006, 3 September
Shepherd University (Shepherdstown, WV)
On campus shooting
Spontaneous memorials, memorial bench near site of shooting.
2007, 2 March
Bluffton University (Bluffton, OH)
Bus crash (Atlanta, GA)
Spontaneous memorials, on campus memorial at baseball field, memorial in Atlanta.
2007, 16 April
Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
On campus mass murder
Spontaneous memorials. Permanent memorial, http://www.vt.edu/remember/.
University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC) and
2007, 28 October
Off campus fire (Ocean Isle Beach, NC)
Clemson University (Clemson, SC)
Spontaneous memorials at both campuses. Sorority and web memorials at USC. No permanent memorials to date.
http://www.sc.edu/forevertothee/news_1028b.html, http://www.sc.edu/forevertothee/index.html
2008, 18 January
Duke University (Durham, NC)
Off campus murder
Fellowship created honoring victim, http://abhijit.mahato.pratt.duke.edu/
2008, 8 February
Louisiana Technical College (Baton Rouge, LA)
On campus shooting
Spontaneous memorials and ceremonies, memorial trust fund, memorial garden.
2008. 14 February
Northern Illinois University
On campus shooting
Spontaneous and web memorials. http://www.niu.edu/memorial/index.html Permanent memorial planned.
2008, 5 March
University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
Off campus murder (Chapel Hill)
Spontaneous memorial, permanent memorial planned, scholarship to honor victim and student body president, Eve Carson.
http://www.unc.edu/eve/index.html
2008, 26 October
University of Central Arkansas (Conway, AR)
On campus shooting
Spontaneous memorials, permanent memorial (benches). http://www.uca.edu/remember/
2009, 21 January
Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
On campus knifing
Spontaneous memorial.
3
4*
1
5
3*
7
33*
7
1
3*
6*
1
2
1
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From: Foote, Kenneth E. and Sylvia Grider. 2010. Memorialization of US College and University Tragedies: Spaces of Mourning
and Remembrance. In Deathscapes: Spaces for Death, Dying, Mourning and Remembrance, eds. Avril Maddrell and James D.
Sidaway, 181-205. Farnham, UK: Ashgate.
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