Remember
January 27, 2001 is not a date that I remembered specifically, until I attended grad school at Oklahoma State University. Even though I wasn't yet part of the OSU family at the time of this horrible tragedy, I am now and I will remember the ten who lost their lives that day in Colorado from the men's basketball team. Then the unthinkable happened, it happened again and even though I had already graduated I do remember this day. November 17, 2011, when the women's basketball team lost 4 of their own and again the entire OSU family shed tears.
This was supposed to be a day of Super Bowl revelry in this
college town, with the only worry being whether stores would run out of popcorn,
beer and peanuts.
Instead, the mood Sunday was as cold and dreary as the
rain soaking the streets following the crash of a small airplane bringing people
home from Oklahoma State's basketball game against Colorado.
"It's like a part of the school died," said Justin
Battista, a freshman walking in the rain toward Sunday morning Mass.
Ten people were killed in Saturday's crash in a field 40
miles east of Denver, including two reserve basketball players and six staffers
and broadcasters. The pilot and co-pilot also were killed.
excerpt Jennifer Brown
Associated Press Writer
Associated Press Writer
Kendall Durfey
Bjorn Fahlstrom
Nathan Fleming
William Hancock III
Daniel Lawson
Brian Luinstra
Denver Mills
Pat Noyes
William Tietgens
Jared Weibert
Oklahoma State, 10 months removed from commemorating the 10-year
anniversary of the deaths of 10 men affiliated with its men's basketball
program, was again struck with its "worst nightmare" Friday after
learning women's coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna died in a
plane crash a day earlier.
Their plane went down in Perry County, Ark., also killing the pilot --
82-year-old former Oklahoma state Sen. Olin Branstetter -- and his wife,
Paula. There were no survivors.
"This is our worst nightmare. The entire OSU family is very close, very
close indeed," OSU president Burns Hargis said at a news conference
Friday. "To lose anyone, especially these two individuals who are
incredible life forces in our family, it is worse beyond words.
excerpt ESPN
Kurt Budke
Miranda Serna
Paula Branstetter
Olin Branstetter
Last year Kelsey and I finished the Remember the Ten Memorial 10K held in Stillwater, OK. It was an amazing event and I am honored to be part of it. For more information on the runs click here.
Forever Orange
This is great, Jen! I love it! Such a sad thing---I love how the whole school remembers.
ReplyDelete~Tiffany